all look at the battleground they listen to npr less. state of nevada, which has six electoral votes. our first guest is karoun demir conservatives and republicans have passions. liberals and democrats have passion. moderates and independents have lives. jian. [laughter] they are not spending their lunch hour in a room in washington. a discussion or watching it on c-span. -- in washington listening to a discussion or watching it on c- "washington journal," live a span. thursday at 7:00 a.m. eastern on they typically do not like politics or politicians, they c-span. are very cynical about washington, and they show up for now through election day, watch one or two reasons. our coverage of the presidential a civic obligation or they are candidates + debates on key angry at somebody or a bunch of house, senate, and governor people. races across the country. tonight, vice presidential they are not watching fox and candidate paul ryan campaigns in they are not watching multiple cleveland, then president sclerosis nbc. much of the chatter golan is obama's campaign stop in iowa. going past these people -- chatter going on is going past

>> in comments at cleveland these people. they are not watching rachel and state university, vice- they are not watching john presidential candidate paul ryan criticized federal anti- kennedy. independence and moderates. >> it was written the other day poverty programs and argue for a strategy encouraging private about the way the narrative charity. this is a half-hour. changes. basically, political porter's take a look at the polls. >> hello, colorado. [cheers and applause] obama gets out there and says romnesia. if you perceive obama as willing >> thank you so much. look at this. wow. [applause] thank you. thank you so much. cut -- winning, that is great. [applause] if you perceive obama as was in, that is embarrassing. does it color the news they get? so warm. wow. [applause] wow. [laughter] >> it does depend. getting the news by watching something on saturday night live, which we use as a great arbiter. thank you very much for that warm welcome. a lot of folks who are very

passive, and i agree with i want to thank my friend whose charlie, you are wonderful family has been so good to me over the years. thank you, jimmy, for that great introduction. people but no one here is normal. we spend how many minutes talking about the possibility of [applause] a popular and electoral vote. i would love to pull people around america how they have i also want to thank everyone actually tick -- how much they here at cleveland state university for your hospitality. thank you very much. have actually thought about [applause] that. that show, for many people, does give them an image of that. the image that was created was i especially want to thank president berkman for making crafted of mitt romney, both on this happen. we appreciate your hospitality. comedy shows and on traditional media, and by the ads, that mitt romney was staff but also a [applause] where's bob? over there. none of this would be possible and none of us would be here super rich guy who does not today without these really know what it is like to extraordinary work of the center for neighborhood enterprise. be an average person. that is what you hear in the we have been friends for many years. focus group, peter asks, what [applause] would mitt romney be like as a neighbor. we are here in partnership on they said things like, i am sure

he would be nice and pleasant. behalf of an idea. i do not think i would be good enough to invite -- to be no matter who your parents are, invited to his house. i would be embarrassed to bring no matter where you come from, the casserole over. >> who would they most likely you should have the idea in america -- the opportunity to want to have to be invited to a rise cannot escape poverty, and backyard cookout. achieve whatever your god-given ? talent and hard work enable you >> you know who it is. to achieve. [laughter] in so many ways, our nation's history has been a struggle to bring opportunity into life. quayle also love bill clinton our nation was founded on the and joe biden to come by. -- they would love bill clinton creed that all men are created and joe biden to come by. equal, that we all possess charlie is right on about why equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. this race is not over. the door did open after those of course, the quality and debates. there were a lot of people getting a second look at what opportunity has not always been they see from mitt romney. a fact of life in our country. but the question -- this goes it is something we have had to constantly fight for. back to the earlier point it is a cause that continues to this day. charlie made about defining yourself -- what are the closing even though some many barriers

arguments mitt romney is making to equality have fallen, too for them? for many, he is saying things many old inequities persist. are not getting better, or they too many children, especially are not getting much better but african-american and hispanic i do not know if i would give obama much credit. children, are sent into if i were to switch horses, what mediocre schools and are expected to perform with excellence. would i get from mitt romney? they still have not answered they make up 38% of the that question. nation's overall students, but >> one of the things we have they are 69% of the students talked about is which mitt romney? identified as lowest performing. the guy who came by our office that's unacceptable. running for the u.s. senate in we owe every child the chance to succeed in life in this 1994 was really bright, an country. [applause] analytical mind. he was more of the problems are -- solver. he was a management consultant. he thought he could do a better job. he was fairly non-ideological. in the words of abraham lincoln, we owe them an unfettered start in the chance if i had to put him on a scale of a football field, i would of life. put among the 35 or 40 yard line upward mobility is the central on the right side, but nowhere promise of life in america. near the reds on. that was the guy then. right now, the american engines that was the guy who started to

of the upward mobility are not run for president in 2007. working like they should. somewhere during the 2008 mitt romney and i are running campaign, he realized it was not because we believe americans working and he had to go hard are better off in a dynamic right. for the last four years, he has free enterprise based economy that fosters economic growth, been running as far to the right as he possibly could. when you had that fox news opportunity come and upward debate back in september of last mobility is of a government- directed stance that creates year when he said, if you were dependency. offered a budget deal, 10-1,, [applause] would you go? not one of the eight republican candidates raised their hands. the thing about it is, that is one hail of a deal -- one hell you know there's something wrong in our country when 40% of of a deal. children born to parents in the he really did not hit us back until -- not even until the can lowest fifth of earners never know anything better. -- at the convention. it was the first debate. it was a different romney. the question before us today people have to sort out for demands a serious answer. themselves which is it. how do we get the engines of opera mobility turned back on this is closer to 1.0. so that no one is left out of the promise of america?

that mitt romney could win a to answer that, we have to take general election but could not a hard look at the approach the win a nomination. government has been taking for the other mitt romney could win a nomination, although it was a the last five decades and ask struggle, but could not possibly yourself if it's working. the approach has been to spend win an election. lots of money on anti-poverty >> you describe mitt romney doing a lot of things that you, looking at it professionally, to programs. not think it is necessarily the money behind this approach ideal behavior. having a terrible summer, a is that a nation should measure terrible september, the 47%. compassion by the size of the government and how much it after all that, the president, spends. the problem is, starting in the with all the advantages, was 1960's, this top-down approach only up four points. created a debilitating culture had one bad night. what does that say about the of dependency wrecking president? >> go back six months ago and communities. you look at the economy, and this was so obvious to everyone say, recumbent presidents do not by the 1990's that when a major welfare program was reformed, get reelected with the economies like this. the fact that romney was behind the law was passed by a republican congress and signed by a democratic president. with a lousy economy was really instead of seeing increases in hunger and poverty, we saw quite remarkable.

welfare enrollment drop i think you also had, starting radically as millions of in august and september, a time citizens gained new lives of where the stock market is near a independence. five-year high. child poverty rates fell and we consumer confidence started shooting up. saw unemployment for single mothers rise. housing market finally starting to shine some light. fewer welfare checks going out consumer confidence jumped up. meant more money for states to spend on child care. we started seeing in the polls welfare reform worked because it encouraged the best in right direction moving up and long track moving down. the economy would lead toward in people. all, when -- lean toward an it appealed to their desire to shape their own destiny and advance in life. it made strides in getting the obama win. government out of the business of fostering dependency. it was less of a liability. here's the problem. 47%, you could look at the polls the welfare reform mindset has not been applied with equal vigor across the spectrum of our anti-poverty programs. and see what they that happened. in most of these programs, -- day that happened. especially recently, we still try to measure compassion by a lot of looking through the how much of the government data. it said it was non-college

spends, not by how many people we help escape from poverty. educated white women that took a after that 47% just last year, total spending came in to more than $1 trillion. remarked. that was a group that was holding out. they are a problem for the how much of that is practical? president. for that amount of money, you non-college educated white men is a no-fly zone for the could give every pore american a check for $22,000. president. the women did not really like obama, but they were not instead, we spend all of that comfortable with romney. money attempting to fight the 47% really hurt. poverty through government after the debate bell, -- programs and what do we have to show for it? today, 46 million people are living in poverty. >> the president have these that is one in six americans. advantages in the campaign, and it's the highest poverty rate serious. in a generation. >> two things i think are working against him. during the last four years, the the economy. the other is -- this is number of people living on food stamps has gone up 15 million. especially true from the suburban women here in virginia, medicaid is reaching a breaking point. one in four american students columbus, ohio -- if he was fails to obtain a high-school going to change washington, that diploma.

people voted for this guy, i in our major cities, half of remember talking to people out in the exurbs of virginia who our kids don't graduate. half. said, i do not know, i cannot in this war on poverty, poverty believe i voted for a democrat. is winning. but i really believe he is going we deserve better. we deserve a clear choice for a to change the way this is. brighter future. not completely. what is the alternative approach that romney and i are offering? it is the frustration that he said he was going to go and make to hear some tell it, we think things better and it is 100 everyone should just fend for times worse. themselves. congress is much more polarized. that is just a false argument. that is setup to avoid a maybe the economy is improving. genuine debate. things are getting a little the truth is mitt romney and i better. believe in true compassion and why are the next four years going to be any different than upward mobility. we are offering a vision based the previous four years? how are you going to work with on real reforms to lift people the congress you seem to have completely dismissed? out of poverty. look. i'm a republican. the question was asked, if obama our party does a good job to is reelected, what percentage speaking to the part of the of you want to see major american dream that involves taking what you are passionate changes, minor changes, or no change at all during the next about and making a successful living. part of what makes america four years?

great is americans look out for 62% said major changes. this is a group of people out one another through communities. there, take away the partisans on either side, who very we have a vision of making the community stronger, but we do reluctantly will pick the next not always do a good job of leader of the free world. this is not out of passion or laying out that vision. thinking things will change. we want to change that. it is the least bad option. we understand the importance of >> the thing that disappointed , all three of us community from experience. i come from a town that has been hit as hard as any. a lot of guys i grew up with and worked in the gm plant and have unusual vantage points they lost their jobs when the plant closed. watching so closely here, but watching the president's acceptance speech, the debates, what happened next is the same i kept waiting to hear him say, thing that happens in communities around the country every day. i have some regrets about how i our term pull together. churches, charities, friends handled things. if reelected, i would like to do and neighbors were all there. in textbooks, they call this some things differently. civil society. in my experience, i know it as this president has virtually no the town i grew up in. relationship with congress. when political ran a piece back

in may that pointed out the we not only understand the president had not at a single importance of community but he conversation in person or on the lived it. form with the chairmen -- on the he's a guy who, at the height of a successful business, he took the time to serve as a phone with the chairman, not a pastor for 14 years counseling people in the inner-city boston single -- neighborhoods. he is a man who could have easily contented himself with class would george w. bush be giving donations to these different? causes, but everyone who knows or ronald reagan? -- >> would george w. him well will tell you that he has always given his time and attention to those around him who are hurting. he is the type of person you bush be different? run into around communities. or ronald reagan? >> i had heard the chairman say here in cleveland and all he had been to the family quarters under both bushes. around america. americans are a compassionate people -- there is a consensus about our fundamental go all around the hill and asked obligations to society's most members of congress how often vulnerable. you have any kind of interaction those obligations are not what at all with the president. we are debating in politics. you would find it is shockingly most times, the real debate is small. about whether they are best met

by private groups or the ronald reagan came to town. government, by voluntary action he did not know a soul when he or more taxes and corrosive got to washington. he had the personal skills and mandates from washington. the desire to build the short of it is that there relationships. has to be a balance, allowing government to act for the common good while leaving groups >> you mentioned waiting for the free to do the work that only they can do. president to say, i made some mistakes. there is a vast middle ground in the first debate, he said between the government and the something about how he is not a individual. perfect president. our families and neighborhoods, the groups we join, places of >> right. >> he did not finish the worship, this is where we lead statement. our lives. >> what they want to hear is not this is where we live our lives. so much, i really messed up on they help make us a self- the economy. [laughter] governing people. it is, i came to washington and earlier, we talked with some of i wanted change. i thought i could do this. the people who define civil it is really hard. i need to do a better job of it. society to make it work. dr. mitchell -- where is she? i think people are willing to listen to that. she has been ministering to he also has to believe that and say that to the people on the hill, both on the republican and

people in the inner city for democratic side. things are going to change decades. because they have to. and reverend peterson whose we cannot go through another project has helped ex-offenders four years of a paralyzed gain and maintain and washington. employment. that is what, for all the people [applause] in denver and virginia listened to, when the economy is better, where is brian? they are not giving the president much credit because when he felt called to open a they think he failed on that measure. >> a quick related question, if people are reluctant to embrace the president for a second term because of gridlock in washington, are they also homeless shelter, he did just reluctant to embrace their not volunteer his time. incumbent senators and representatives at this moment? >> no, that has not translated. he and his wife move their family, a baby and two young ones into the shelter and lived the whole system is broken. do not let democrats, -- they do there for seven years. [applause] not like democrats, they do not like republicans, they think the system is broken. he and his volunteers provide the great irony is in 2006,

clean clothes, though that democrats got in control of the would have been a lot. house in large part because they he did not just give kids a defeated a bunch of moderate safe place to come in off the streets. republicans. republicans gained control in he gave himself. 2010 by knocking out almost all of the moderate democrats. he did not show people in need the right path. voters did believe they were he walked it with them. making change. they want to throw these bombs not just as their guide but as a out. friend. this good man, and others like him, they are witnesses. the needy people who have in their desire to create a encountered them feel it message of change, they created presents greater than just one a more polarized place. compassionate soul. what is at work here is the i also get frustrated when you spirit of the lord. have the campaign committee there's no end to the good that chair people of each side saying it can inspire. the government cannot replace congress is so terrible. it is because you beat all the that. people you could have worked [applause] should we have the chance to with. you targeted them and painted them with a broad brush, this is just x there is no silver bullet.

serve, i want you to know this. if i could wave a magic wand and mitt romney and i share your cause and we will seek your do two things -- redistricting reform so we do not do all these counsel. customized districts for we will remember your republicans and democrats. hospitality today and it will when you do that, you get far be returned. less -- far ;ef democratict the transforming of your example will conform our approach to public policy. district -- left democratic [applause] when the question is how best districts and far righ republict to help low-income families and district. open up primaries -- california dusted mouth -- both. we see more competition in california than in the previous reached opportunity, we will not three decades combined, just in defer to the washington knows one year. it may not be the perfect best crowd. reform, but i tell you what, you we will talk to the real experts are getting competition. like those who are here in this you have members who have never room with us today. tried to talk to voters in the [applause] other side or independents. you have sherman and berman, they are running to try to beat republicans and independent what is government's duty when it comes to the institutions of voters. civil society? two democratic incumbents facing

off against each other. basically, it is to secure you see interesting things happening. their rights, respect their purposes come and preserve that would do more to fix their freedoms. washington than any things i can [applause] think of. >> other things -- i will throw it open to your questions. i believe there will be a microphone passed around. first, both of you have referred nothing undermines the essential and honorable work to polls./ these groups do quite like the when you refer to what polls are abuse of government power. saying, is that before or after? take what just happened this past january when the department of health and human >> you go. services issued new rules requiring catholic hospitals, >> i have very strong opinions. charities, and universities to >> should i explain this for the violate their deepest principles. never mind your conscience. audience? we're talking relegation that from now on, you will do things some polls skewed, were showing the government's way. his mandate is not just a obama and had when they were not, some are adjusting the threat to religious charities. polls. it is a threat to all of those who turn to them in times of they refer to a choose your own need. adventure campaign -- you can decide who is ahead and behind, in the name of strengthening our you can have your own debate safety net, this mandate and others will weaken it. winner. yesterday i saw a video or you

could even rearranged the debate here's the good news. to it -- to have the argument of when romney is president, this the way you wish. mandate will be gone. they have a subsidiary [applause] research were you could go online with a credit card and give them your credit card, right a question, and it will be asked in a robopoll next night. that's a fact. [applause] i am not sure why i decided to bring that up. anyway, here is the common sense that is a fact. -- cherry picking. [applause] people who think they go for the when that happens, these groups one poll that tells them what will be able to do and continue they want to hear. to do the great work that they that is the most accurate -- any do. other poll is obviously that is not just the abuse of government that undermines methodologically flawed. the cherry picking is there. civil society. it is also the excesses of the other one is the worst -- government. look at the road we are on with the latest poll must be the trillion dollar deficits each and every year. truth. even if it is inconsistent with that on this scale is so 10 other service, they seize on destructive in so many ways. the latest. one of them is that it crowds the third, and the way to combat

out civil society by drawing resources away from private that is to go with aggregation, giving. where the average a bunch of calls together. even worse is the prospect of a the problem is that half the debt crisis, which will, unless we do something different very polls and into the average are soon. look. when the government's own -- what is my acronym, finances collapse, society's most vulnerable are the first computerized response victims, as we're seeing now in attitudinal polls, with their the troubled welfare states in europe. internet or robopolls. many there feel they have nowhere to turn to for help. we must never let that happen they cannot call cell phones. here in america. some states, close to 50% of [applause] respondents. you have a huge methodological problems. if your average it -- averaging in garbage with the good stuff. where government is interested in providing a safety net, what we do on our website is a romney and i have our own sake -- our own ideas to keep it go completely for the strong. it is a vision that leaves the failures of the past in the presidential -- national polls past and a proposal to build on those reforms that have worked. and battleground states, say, we will just show polls that are for starters, a romney-ryan administration would restore lived people calling real people

those parts of the welfare with except or methodology, reform law that have been putting that in. undone or weakened. for conservatives who do not want to trust the liberal media, we would do this for the sake of ok, fine. just do this -- watch the fox americans who deserve to lead a poll. life of dignity and freedom. we will also take other lessons to be perfectly honest, there polling not look different from other networks. look at folks and "the wall from welfare reform successes. many of the solutions work in street journal." one of the two pollsters, he the 1990's came from such states such as my home state of wisconsin and leaders like tommy was one of romney's to thompson. pollsters for years ago. president clinton and congress recognized it would be a good they are probably not in on the idea to give states more power conspiracy. to tailor welfare to the unique so just look at those if you do needs of their citizens. not want to look at others. [applause] they look like most of the other reputable national polls live people. . with live people. romney and i want to apply this the days of the largest idea to other anti-poverty programs such as medicaid and newspaper in the state food stamps. commissioning a firm to do a the federal government will that does cpoll -- provide the resources, but we will remove and less federal

mandates to make these programs not happen. more effective. one of these firms, it was a if the question is what is best firm in north carolina that puts out over 800 polls a year. for low income people in ohio, should we not let people in ohio make that call? >> 800 -- >> 800 polls a year. [applause] >> that seems like a lot. [laughter] >> yes. and the other big firm has five strengthening the safety net programs is still not enough. if we want to restore the promise of america are, then we or 10 people. >> it would be funny to do not must reform our broken public just an autopsy of the public school system. polls, internal you hear [applause] different things, too. we get to hear or see about -- the campaign's tell us, we have this here, this there. it works for a lot of people but assumptions about the campaigns, it does not work for everyone. special interests always seem to have their own futures lined up at the presidential level, the nicely, but when you think senate level, about what the about the future of young adults electorate will look like also the system has failed, many color the way they are looking will face a lot of grief and at each of the states. disappointment. if you put truth serum into both their country as them better than that.

i recently spent time at the of the campaigns, they are not cornerstone school, an going to be that far off. independent school in detroit that has been serving students >> ohio. for 20 years. it is an independent school it came to mind. that has served urban students for many years. >> democratic pollsters, has it is an amazing place. i talked today to a sixth grader names alixis. obama by six or seven, one by five, three republican pollsters, one has obama at 1 , they are learning the values of discipline, respect, service, a one at 46, and one has it even. somewhere between even and 7. probably split the difference. so by looking at the shoe love for one another. every child in america should have this opportunity. leather, like amy does, like some of us do, talking to people on both sides, you can get a feel for where this thing probably is based on high- sending your child to a great quality research. >> would you recommend that people look at these state polls of the national polls terreno. schools should not be a

privilege of the well-to-do. ? that is why i believe the >> snow. choice should be able to every because 90% of them are robo or internet. >> the quality is not their? >> others -- the abc/ "wall parent wherever they live. freedom is the key. street journal" poll is quality. there are some high-quality live the strength of the safety net people calling live people, but and the quality of our education system are among the it is very little. that is what pollutes the places where americans have a stake. averages. whether it is pollster.com or real clear politics or talking above all is the pressing need points memo or nate -- he for jobs. [applause] is a really bright guy, but you have tv more discriminate in terms of what you are plugging into this. otherwise it is garbage in, right now 23 million americans garbage out. >> given we are in a choose your are struggling for work. own adventure environment, tell in the has gone down each of me -- is a very close election, the last four years.

presume it remains a close election. do you think the public at we do not need four more years large is going to be prepared to like the four. accept losing? need a real recovery. >> no. [applause] >> it will feel very different than 2008. mccain voters wanted a guy to win, but he talked to a lot of them they would say, on that election night you felt america mitt romney is a man who is uniquely qualified and ready to just made history. there was a hopeful moments. deliver this recovery. why? aesop hopeful numbers spike up he understands what the economy works and what it takes to make after the inaugural. it grow. and then of course it crashed back down to earth. like the best leaders, he has set a clear goal. that was completely wiped off. 12 million jobs over the next the real question is will it feel like 2004 with the four years. we can do this. it will take bold departures frustration and hand-wringing, we do not believe this, or will from the policies. and for years, neither it be like 2000 where you get president obama nor vice president biden has offered the this position of this race was stolen. this is an illegitimate american people an agenda for a president. that will come down to, are we going to have another handing

second term. mitt romney and i will give the chad -- hanging chad. american workers back in the business of producing american >> in 2004, as close as that was, i had a bunch of lefties energy. we will not add to the bureaucracy. mailing me, the election was we will get resources to the workers who need skills. stolen. when it comes to trade, we will you will have deniers. in any close race there will be crack down on countries that cheat. deniers who are not willing to we will not bury our accept losing. grandchildren and debt. that is part of where society we will stop spending money we is. just do not have. it is what it is. >> you are talking about perhaps [applause] something larger? by the way, we will not raise >> even 2004, which was a close race but cut and dry, there were people who said ohio was stolen rom kerry. taxes. we will cut rates for small businesses and working families. that is how you help create jobs and prosperity. many of those are living in >> but we are even more polarized.

so the intensity is more. poverty today. >> let me invite your questions. we can help them regain the if you would stand up so people could see you and say your name ground they lost with a focus on growth all across the american economy. and where it you are from so we since becoming the nominee for learned little about you. i will start with the back row. vice president, i thought more go ahead, sir. >> will davis with a united than once about another man who nation. ran for this job as a champion the whole reason i listened to of growth and prosperity. morning edition can be you just saw his son. summarized by these fantastic he was my mentor. his name is jack kemp. stories -- it puts a spring in one of the things his friends my step the whole day. >> did nbc have a story -- love most about him was his big -- could itate heart. when he talked about opportunity, he meant be very close? opportunity for everyone. who will control it? which raises will it come down we spoke about progress, and to? >> charlie, you go first. progress for everyone. that is the kind of -- that any >> if you were a republican, we political party can use. over many years he spent his set a year-and-a-half ago

part in mind to the problems of republicans had a 57% chance of poverty, brushing aside a lot picking up the majority in the of the old assumptions. senate. the same holds true for mitt control -- that is a number that romney. if you want to know how mitt begins with a 6 and usually does not end with a 0 . romney will lead our nation, we did mitt romney will lead our . whether it was olympia snowe nation, then look at how he will lead his life. postretirement, todd akin in a he is a modest man with a charitable heart. he is a doer and a promise keeper. biology instructor. [laughter] we have a message that is that race is still close, bigger than the party. we are speaking for all though. americans in this campaign. some republicans to i thought we believe that economic growth were first-rate candidates not and equality of opportunity are the surest passed to the pursuit of happiness and doing as well, in hawaii and new mexico. i think there is a 47% chance of republicans taking a majority, but there will be a lot of one america. wherever we are in life, whether and two point races. we are rich or poor, black, i would not be surprised if brown, or white, we are one nation rising or falling wednesday lunchtime, we may not together. be positive. [applause] six years ago, the last time senate seats were up, you had

missouri, montana, virginia that is the promise of america. still up for grabs. that was the majority of the senate. those three states, our senate we can make it real in the lives of many who feel left out. editor figured this out -- 4.3 million people voted. to all those americans, we ask those three states were decided by 60,600 total votes. you to support our campaign. our cause is yours and yours is we could be in that type of situation. basically, once you have the ours. together we can achieve great nelson open street -- open seats things. thank you, everybody. -- that is a done deal. god bless. thank you. i appreciate it. [applause] to if they win the white house, three if they do not -- if [captioning performed by nebraska is moved over. national captioning institute] [captions copyright national you have five democratic cable satellite corp. 2012] tossups, five republican tossups. that last group of tossups states do not split down the middle. they have a tendency to break two-thirds one way or the other -- is like dominoes. the one-point race -- that is [applause] the last best of wind, then they

typically break one way or the other. democrats have an advantage, but i would say there is a 40% chance republicans did in. >> if you want to know who has >> at a campaign rally in iowa, control of the -- majority of president obama told supporters that trust matters in choosing the senate. the candidate. virginia certainly is a place to it was the first top on his tour in six battleground states. go. if republicans win in a later, the president campaigned virginia, i would argue there is in colorado and then las vegas. a very good chance they get the tomorrow he will visit florida, senate. even if they lose massachusetts and maine. virginia, and ohio. they are winning in states where >> hello, iowa. it was really close but maybe hello. is good to be back. romney came over the top. then they win in north dakota, this is about as close as i get montana, nebraska, maybe they to home these days. pick up, i do not know what to it is good to be back. think about wisconsin, but that are you fired up? [applause] is another one. are you ready to go? [applause] >> people often say that about at the at sat, let's give wisconsin. >> the guy from indiana. cassandra a huge round of applause for the great >> people do not think about

introduction. indiana -- i do. >> that really, to me, is the [applause] we have got your congressman here. state that will tell us the most. >> is this the theme of the your mayor. senate races this year? and we have all of you -- i am excited to see you. people in very close races in a [applause] really nasty states, weather is this is the first stop on our 48 scott brown in massachusetts, hour fly around campaign heidekamp in north dakota, marathon extravaganza. we are going to pull an all- nighter. donnely in indiana -- you could no sleep. we are starting here in iowa and have an olympic gold medal winning swimmer, but how bad can going to colorado, then it nevada, then florida, virginia, the undertow get before they get ohio. sucked under? i am going to stop in chicago. take massachusetts, where brown has to basically win 100% of the we have an early vote -- republican vote and 100% of the independent vote and one out of illinois, just like here in five democrats. iowa. when every romney vote for plus 200,000 obama supporters have

i had to stop in iowa to ask you to split their tickets. for your vote. to ask you for your support so >> it all the people won, the we can finish what we started. senate would look different. they are opposite parties in states that do not traditionally elect somebody from their party. because this is where it all they would have to be those down began, four years ago. the middle, need to compromise kind of people. it would suggest that on your front porches, your backyards, this is where the massachusetts -- that is a great case study -- scott brown loses, movement for change began. will lose with very positive iowa -- you will once again people. akin will not lose because he choose the path that we take did a terrible job -- it will from here. say they do not like the idea of you know, at this point, you republicans having control the senate. guys have seen a lot of tv commercials. you have heard governor romney's >> a party could pick somebody up and put them someplace where sales pitch. no, do not boo -- vote. they could actually win -- you [applause] have an extraordinarily good candidate in an ugly place. >> let's go -- in the second row? he has been running around >> i worked on the hill and at saying he has a five-point plan. let me tell you -- is only one- point plan. was at the task force at dod.

the people at the top get to a couple things -- what is going play by a very different set of on with voter protection, and rules and you. how much of a difference do you they get to pay at lower tax rates, keep money in offshore think -- they were horrible accounts. horror stories, people dumping they can buy companies loaded with debt, lay off workers, ballot boxes in the river, so strip away pensions, the jobs what is the sense of that? overseas, and make a big profit my second question -- you bobby no class -- while the mentioned that people have to middle class gets stuck with the sort through who romney is. bill. do not boo -- vote. important questions for those of that was his part -- philosophy us who live here -- is romney going to control the tea party as governor and in the private or is the tea party going to sector. that is his philosophy now. not a very inspiring vision for control romney? sorting that is difficult for us our country. it is two weeks from the inside the beltway, but outside election. he knows that if he told the beltway one would hope the everybody what he wants to do, obama campaign had made that particular point, particularly he probably would not get any in intellectual states like votes, so he is doing everything massachusetts -- are they doing he can to make sure that you do not notice. that out there? i saw elizabeth warren and scott we have come up with a name for brown go back and forth in the this -- it is called romnesia. debate, talking about control the senate and what that meant. romnesia. if the obama administration --

i want to go over the symptoms we do not have access to advertisements like you can see across the country. for you. i do not want you to catch it. are they doing something to define it that way out there? i do not want it to spread. the president really does need if you say you will not give a some control over the tea party. big tax cut to the wealthy but you are caught on video >> the first question, vote for promising your tax cut would protection, what is that like? protection, was that include the top 1%, then you might have romnesia. if you talk about how much you like? >> every year there are problems love teachers during a debate in every single state with but just a few weeks ago said we voting. should not hire any more those of you who go to voting teachers because they will not grow the economy, you probably places no primarily what those have romnesia. problems involved. they are nice, sometimes elderly, most often out of the if you sit on stage in a people whose task is to help people get to the voting place. national televised debate and say how much you love cars, you sometimes, there was a year in are a car guy, except you wrote montgomery county -- nobody taught them how to turn on the an article titled "led detroit machines. people showed up and the go bankrupt," then you almost machines were not turned on. there was no conspiracy to deny people the right to vote. certainly have romnesia. this was a fact that a lot of nice people had no idea how to if you cannot seem to remember

work the machine. the policies on your own of that is 99% of what goes on. website, or the promises you made over the last six years you every year we put people, we have been running for president, tasked them to the ballot watch or the promises you made six days ago, you probably have -- watch out what is happening. report any problems anywhere. romnesia, but do not worry, every year somebody runs out of obamacare covers pre-existing ballots in some countries -- conditions. there is a cure. county or jurisdiction. we can make you well as long as every year there are debates in big cities about whether the you vote, iowa, we can cure polls should be open later because the lines are too long. folks of this malady. of this disease. [applause] at the same time, the following things will happen -- there will listen -- smart people who do be mistakes made, votes miscounted, things that, they not have a dog in this fight, found absentee ballots on the independent analysts, bottom of this room they forgot economists, they took out their to check. pencils, had the green that is going happen. i will tell you that it is eyeshades, they crunched the numbers. it turns out governor romney's 99.99% about honest to goodness economic plan is a sketchy deal. the results are not what you mistakes and not malice. >> i could not agree more that would want to write home about. the "washington post" calls the what you have got most counties

jobs plan a bait and switch. spend more money on food in the debate is the promise it treats of million jobs -- the switch is county jail then on the fact that it does not create 12 million jobs. administering elections. so we get all the accuracy that in fact, it will not even create we pay for. you want precision? jobs right now. we will have to spend a whole governor romney wants to spend lot more. we basically have a system that $5 trillion on tax cuts for the is based on a oftentimes elderly wealthy, $2 trillion in defense spending our military is not workers using new technology. asking for, and he wants you to [laughter] believe he can do that without adding to the deficit or raising think about it. a class taxes. surely -- there will be the the problem is you need to acorn people on one side, the invent a new kind of math to make that true. crowd in virginia -- there will the arithmetic does not worked. be samples of that. but there is not a serious voter fraud problem in this country. so we know governor romney's jobs plan does not create jobs. widespread -- the bush administration in eight years, alloke about romneissia, they found fewer than one -- for this be something really important -- the issue of trust. all 50 states. there is no more serious issue

on a presidential campaign than that is negligible. trust. trust matters. it is people who want to deny, who would not accept that they iowa, you thing -- lose elections. know me. believe what you want to believe, but in the scheme of you now that i say when i mean problems in this country, this and i mean what i say. is way down the list as far as there are some faults in this i'm concerned. crowd who probably have been >> voter fraud -- way down the following me since i was running the united states senate. [applause] list. voter suppression, which is what democrats are talking about -- -- running for the united states would you put that down the list? senate. >> i think running ads to try [applause] the sky right here served in the to depress the supporters for next states senate. the other side is something that you could take a videotape of virtually every competent things i have said 10 years ago, campaign in both parties in 12 years ago, and you say, this is the same guy. competitive races do. you want to get your people out that is the same values. and you want to give your he cares about the same people. he does not forget where he came opponent supporters conflicting emotions so that they may be from. stay at home. he knows who he is fighting for. >> that is conventional voter you know what? suppression, not some mechanical i have not finished all the thing changing the rules, voter

i.d. -- work we started in 2008, but i >> pretty darn rare. have fought for you every single day that i have held this office. [applause] >> said the vote stealing that and with your help i have kept is concerned to partisans of be overwhelmed by the normal human commitments i have made. errors of the election. >> tried. >> on this side -- yes, sir? i told you we would end the war in iraq -- we did. >> in with the aspen institute. i said we would begin the process of ending the war in afghanistan -- we are. i said we would focus on the both of your expert election terrorists to ashley attacked us on 9/11, and we have. watchers -- i am wondering if you talk about super pac's, the and a new tower rises over impact they have on the manhattan and osama bin laden is election? dead. >> i cannot wait for the real i kept that promise. autopsy when all is said and [applause] done about this. i said a little earlier -- the amount of money spent, i promise to cut taxes for especially on the republican middle-class families and small businesses. side, has been astronomical. we have done that. it is the main reason why mitt i promised to end taxpayer- romney is not going -- getting funded wall street bailout for out spent by in major marchant, good -- and we have. especially in battleground states.

at the same time, flooding i promised to repeal don't ask don't tell, and today you cannot money is not always particularly be attacked -- kicked out of the helpful. military for who you are or who first of all, no matter how you love. [applause] smart these groups are, and believe me they are a heck of a i said i would bet on american lot smarter than outside groups ucb, which used to be much more workers and american ingenuity. ideological. well the other guy was saying let detroit go bankrupt, i went they had a cause, and it would spend a lot of thought -- money, there and work with workers and even if it was some stupid thing management and we save the dying auto industry that is back on -- they have had to have jello top of the world. on issue after issue, we are moving forward. in schools. 9 million jobs -- after losing 9 now they know -- they have their own media shops. million jobs, our businesses this is how we move voters to have added more than 5 million our candidate. jobs over the last few years. we have to help mitt romney even though we cannot coordinate with manufacturing is the highest mitt romney. level since the 1990's and their focus is oftentimes unemployment has fallen to the completely different than what the campaign wanted to be. lowest of all since i took you have conflicting messages, office. home values are rising. which is not always helpful. assembly lines humming again. we have a long way to go up, the most important thing is that they have to spend more money to get an ad on tv. iowa, but we have gone too far. the unit rate -- if you are a we have to stick with politics

candidate, a tv station has to than in getting us out of this mess. that is why i'm running for a give it to you. you get a lower cost. second term as president of the united states of america. you have in some places -- there [applause] is a rather complicated thing about if you by early and reserve. buying ad time is not much [chanting "four more years"] different than anything else -- you want to look for bargains in the strategic period when they go into by at, they are spending sometimes 10 times as much as the campaign. >> they spend retail while the the good news is i have a plan campaign spends all cell. >> much better way of saying that will actually create jobs, that. -- while the campaign pays that will actually reduce the wholesale. >> a much better way of saying deficit, that will actually that. >> they have made an impact, but at the end of the day they did create middle-class security. not to the one thing we both unlike mitt romney, i am proud agree could have helped mitt to talk about it. romney at least early on, which [applause] was the finding came as opposed to letting him be defined. because my math actually adds up. if you want to take a look at it lots out there said that president obama is a terrible -- check it out at candidate and stewart of the barackobama.com/plan. economy -- people already knew that. i went to share it with your they did not know who mitt romney was.

friends, your neighbors, your co-workers. finally, the senate is another there are still people out there big piece. who may be trying to make up after all is said and done, if their minds. all these republican super pac's maybe somebody here thought they were visiting the haunted house over there -- they wandered over who said -- they said it would buy this election. trying to figure out what is if mitt romney does not win and going on. they have not made up their republicans and not take control minds yet -- want them to vote. of the senate, that is not a good return on investment. i want everybody out there to i would be curious to see what compare my plan to governor the reaction is going to be like from the circles. romney's. >> it is not new for very it has the information you need. see which plan is better for you wealthy people to have through and for america's future. first of all, i want to end tax spending disproportionate influence. whether you want to go back to breaks for companies shipping 1972 or way before that, soros jobs overseas. and peter lewis, it happens -- i want to reward small businesses and manufacturers were creating jobs right here in won election they will be on one the united states of america. that is what i want to do. side, another election the other. second, i want to cut our oil do i wish the supreme court had imports in half by 2020 we not decided that campaign

control more of our energy. spending is a form of speech? we are today less dependent on sure. foreign oil than at any time in the last two decades because of but the super pac's were a the steps we have taken. logical extension of that we increased fuel standards on decision -- it is what it is. cars and trucks said it will go i do not think there is a lot we twice as far on a gallon of gas. can do about it. because we have been producing but i do think is right -- if clean energy, including right here in iowa. there are factories in iowa money was determinative, a lot where formerly laid-off workers of different people would be in are on the job, building wind elected office now. power, wind blades. i think the most concrete thing i want to build on that progress. at this time is that it i want fuel efficient cars and extended the republican nomination fight. long-lasting batteries, wind the super pac's for santorum, turbines manufactured -- i want to manufacture here in iowa. for gingrich, kept him going. i london made in the united states of america. and we can -- i wanted them made even romney during a few in the united states of america. patches, financially, he got and we can do that. through with financing. number three, we are going to that race would have been over a make a national measure to lot sooner had it not'been educate our kids and train our workers better than anybody else s p q a follow-up question -- -- in the world. [applause] had it not been for super pac's i want to recruit 100,000 new a --

math and science teachers, >> a follow-up question -- the trained to million workers at romney campaign had a mistake in community colleges with skills not spending money to explain to the businesses are looking for. people who he was. surely at some point you have asked people from the romney i went to work with colleges and campaign about this. universities to cut the growth what explanation had been of tuition so are young keyboard offered? can afford higher education >> we want to be focused, we without getting loaded with debt. want to be disciplined, we tested it and it did not move the meter. number four, my plan will cut the deficit by $4 trillion over >> this is about the economy? the next 10 years. this is a alexian abundantly we will do it in a balanced way. about the economy, a referendum we will cut outspending we do on the president -- an election not need, but we are going to fundamentally about the economy, ask the wealthiest of americans to pay a little more. a referendum on the president. [applause] we will get out spent two or we are going to do that so we three or 4 21 regardless of 21ad can invest in research and technology, keep jobs and we put out there -- what ad we business is coming to america put out there. and help them -- and one never turn medicare into a voucher. the challenger, do not get to go when. no american should spend their golden years at the mercy of we had to fight off the six insurance companies. other people in the primaries i will use the savings from ending the war in iraq from president obama could roll together all his cash and debt

afghanistan to put our people -- dump it. back to work right here at home -- to nation building right this is the gamble both sides here. repairing roads, bridges, made -- the obama campaign gambled that defining romney schools, all across america. early would define the race. when our veterans come home, we if they lose, obviously the will serve them as well as they gamble did not pay off. serve us. romney needed to get through the we will make sure that they have the support that they need. primary, but also that this was a race about the fundamentals. because nobody who fights for the fundamental is that one guy america should have to fight for a job when they come home. is president of the united [applause] states and a time of incredible economic despair. >> they have viewed this will be iowa, that is the plan we need. a referendum on president obama that is how you build a strong, and the economy -- i think it is sustainable economy. more complicated. it is people who are asked, do to create good, middle-class you want to renew this jobs and make sure that folks have -- not only are they doing president's contract for another four years? yes, no, or maybe? well now, but their future >> if the no combines to 54% or prospects are bright. we will encourage new businesses more -- do you feel comfortable to start here and save here -- stay here. that is how you increase take- replacing the president with home pay. mitt romney? not by talking about it and then they view this first part of the

cutting taxes for folks of the equation as important -- very top. this is how you build an economy >> and not determined that park. where everyone who works hard >> not the second. has a chance. that is what america is about. my view was that thought the that is the basic bargain that american people would know the we believe in. economy sucked without any help now it is up to you, iowa, right from the romney campaign. [laughter] here, right now, today. you have the chance to choose the path will take from here. it is up to the young people who are here today to choose the future that you want to see. they wanted to stay focused and disciplined. [applause] that leads it to, why today super pac's not come in. you can choose the top-down policies that got us into this >> they said, that is not our mess, or you can choose the job. policies that are helping us to get out of this mess. >> restore our future, a pro- you can choose a foreign policy that is reckless and wrong, or romney super pac, had a nice you can choose the kind of testimonial spot that i thought leadership i have shown, that is was really good, but they only steady and strong and clear, ran for a while and stop running it may 27. that sends a clear messages to >> a pop back up. our allies and to our enemies. >> did what you say explain you can not turn back the clock 50 years on women and immigrants and gays -- or, in this romney's performance in the foreign policy debate, where he

election, you can stand up for seemed restrained and adjusting his position -- is that the the kind of america that says we campaign, they do not want romney to get in the way of the embrace everybody. we believe in giving everybody a message, which is the economy? >> that was a lower risk. fair shot. everybody doing their fair share. everybody playing by the same i think it worked fine for him. roles. it does not matter if you are the thing is, i do not think he black or white or hispanic or was going to win a foreign asian or native american, whether you are young or old, policy debate. that is not an area that is his able or disabled, gay or area of expertise. straight, it does not matter. wherever you -- wherever you i think he opted to go a low- come from, it does not matter -- you can make it here if you try. risk strategy. that is the american way. >> the gentleman in the bow tie, [applause] in the front row? >> i'm on the board of the listen, i was -- we have been through tough times, but we have institute -- i want to pick up been through tough times before. on an earlier question about we always bounce back. we always come out on top. romney's shift to the center. the american people are tougher i am not an undecided voter. if i were and if i really in tough -- tougher than any believed that romney would be tough times because we pull willing to take on the right together, we look after one wing of his own party to arrive another, we leave nobody behind,

at pragmatic compromises with we do not turn back. centrist democrats, that would we're always looking at the horizon in front. have a big effect on my vote -- we are always moving forward. that is why am asking for a vote today. i sense he was sort of like to that is why i am asking for your do that, but my other hunch is vote in this election. that he will not be able to get if you give me that vote, i promise i will always listen to grover norquist off his back so easily. your voice. i would be very interested in i will always fight for your families. your sense of who is the real i will spend every waking day mitt romney and it is what i continuing to make sure that hope it might be, why he does your lives are a little bit not say so more directly? better. >> i would argue, first of all, this is where it got started, iowa. i believe in you. you could make the same i am asking you to keep believing in me. statement of president obama. i think there are a lot of if you will roll up your sleeves and work with me, knock on some ideologues who believe doors with me, make some calls with me, we will win scott compromise is a four-letter word in both parties. county again. i would say it is over half of we will win iowa again. we will win this election again. the members in each party of congress qualifying in that. we will finish what we started undermine the world wide end the other question earlier about united states of america is the the tea party, less than a third greatest nation on earth. -- remind the world why of the

of the freshman joined the tea united states is the greatest nation on earth. party, less than a third. thank you. god bless america. ♪ given the choice, less than a third -- 19, is that right? 19 freshmen. john boehner in the tea p arty? maybe the wine part. i do not consider eric cantor or boehner tea party. the thing is, you are taking an old-line, conservative republicans and putting a new label on it called the tea party. the movement -- i do not think it exists anymore. we have had conservative republicans for a really long ♪ time. find me a tea party boater that voted for obama -- no way. or they voted for john kerry or al gore -- there are not any.

i think we will -- would a president romney be able to stand up to the more conservative elements in his party? good questions. what president obama stand-up on entitlement changes and domestic spending? i think we are looking at two ♪ sides of the same coin. they are both problematic. >> the voters get the joke -- that is the problem. we keep coming back to who will be able to do that work. to your point about him talking to the center, this is the mitt romney that the obama campaign did not want to face. they did not want to make this about the flip flopping mitt romney -- a lot of people would say, that is not that bad, not that conservative. they need him to the extreme mitt romney, the severely conservative mitt romney, which

is why these ads, when you look at the most over the top negative at coming from barack obama, not mitt romney. most of the sit in the media market -- uc the -- you see the women saying i will not get contraceptives and will get cancer and die because of mitt romney, because your cough ♪ planned parenthood. -- because he will cut off planned parenthood. they want to make the extreme argument, which is what you saw him at the debate the other day -- is not his territory, and he could get himself trip up in the debate, but also those very women he is trying to talk to, he does not want to be a george bush, put into a category of a george bush neocon or beating the war drum. he distances himself from almost all of that -- one of the first things he said in the debate is

we do not much to see another iraq. >> it raises a larger question -- mitt romney 1.0 could not have possibly one in nomination. if you are a democrat -- talk about 2016 for a second. a lot of people in this room think mark warner is pretty ♪ good. his chances of winning the democratic nomination are zero. it is the same thing. these parties have gotten so ideological that you cannot -- that was what was so remarkable, i think, about the obama-clinton race -- it was not a race to the left. it was generational and socio- economic. it was a lot of things. it was not about ideology. i think that sort of -- the specifics of that race masked a larger thing -- the democrats have the same problem.

>> let me ask another question -- regardless of whether you believe as a politician that you will have to govern as a campaign -- if you buy that notion, how do each of these guys have to govern, given the way they have campaigned? >> given the fact they have a demagogued on issues to have to deal with in the immediate future -- in tom and ann and taxes. they'll have to make that -- entitlement and taxes. their hands force already, we have the fiscal cliff coming up and the reality of sequestration. they will deal with it one way or the other. the question is, how are we does it get? there was a whole piece today in the "day more and register," they had an interview -- " des moines register," they had an interview with the president that was off the record and now is on their website. it will be pretty ugly.

but that is what will have to happen. >> republicans the other day had a conference call. apparently they were asked, i do not know if it was better or cantor, -- boehner for cantor, ♪ do not commit anything, do not commit, say as little as you possibly can on this because things are going to have to happen after this election. i think, hopefully after the election, the adults takeover on both sides. obviously things have to happen or ugly things happen on december 31. >> those conversations are happening. folks i talked to on both sides seem committed to the fact that leadership is going to be -- at least right now they are talking in a way that suggests that they do not want to see another debt ceiling meltdown. >> the senate side, it is

plausible that some kind of a compromise is worked out. the house is very problematic. ♪ you have a lot of really exotic members on the right and the left. [laughter] >> not that there is anything wrong with that. [laughter] >> they are hard to get those people to the same table. >> we have time for two or three more questions -- you, sir, in the second row? >> walz lawrence. we have had a lot of detailed analysis of the debates and the impact they might have had on the election, but if i had it right there were four debates. any analysis or views about what the vice presidential debate ♪ did? >> i think the vice-presidential debate gave a boost to a very depressed democratic party. they came out of that first one wringing their hands, this is over, this is a disaster, the

head swinging, i cannot believe it -- but it did not have an impact on the actual numbers, in part because voters are still picking the president. they are not picking the running mate. it was a good morale boost for a ♪ democratic party that needed one, but beyond that i do not think it had much of an impact. >> this debate is for entertainment purposes only -- a disclaimer. [laughter] it has no impact whatsoever on the outcome of the election. in the is right. you had the president's performance the first time -- jay leno's line, the only people who thought the president won the first they were the nfl replacement referees. [laughter] biden got him off the ledge. he got him back into the room and into safety. republicans were obviously worried about medicare or social

security -- that could blow up. ♪ it did not. i think both sides were very relieved with how the vice- presidential debate went. >> water to more questions -- the gentlemen in the back, with the glasses? >> i am an independent consultant. i've kind of a long question, but i will make it short. going back to the debates in general, substance versus style vs. the shaping by the media, i ♪ talked to people and i've heard even on interviews that people ,eard obama's retort specifics, versus governor romney's question -- that is one. the other, the issue of term limits -- would not be better

to have a six-year president for one short campaign? >> jimmy carter had that idea. how did that work out for him? [laughter] your other question about who was more specific in the debates -- >> if you ask democrats, they'll say romney was -- obama was more specific, if you ask romney -- republicans, will see romney. independence probably did not day >> now through election day, make it through most of the debate. >> we would just have a longer campaign season -- there is no way it will spend more money on it. the vacuum will be filled. watching our coverage of the to charlie's point, beyond the presidential candidates, plus key races around the country. partisan to say that there guy next, "washington journal" looks at the politics of florida. won, it is difficult to go then, political analysts through and read the transcript handicap the presidential race. of the debate and then watch it. later, vice-presidential it is a very different debate. candidate paul ryan gives his speech about poverty and a it is like the nixon thing -- if campaign stop in cleveland.

you listened to on the radio you thought nixon won, if you tomorrow, the american watched it on tv you thought enterprise institute analyzes kennedy won. the presidential race and other style does matter. for the vast majority hutu in political campaigns around the country. for even five seconds, what they saw was a president who did not you can watch it live, seem like he wanted to be there. beginning 9:00 a.m. eastern time on c-span 2 . for a president who was already teetering on the question of >> this is the downsizing -- one maybe -- dry want to see him back? of 10,000 homes that they are trying to get down in the next they sure did not make him feel like they were wrong to change four years. their mind. style is important. these are houses that are never that is why they spend almost as coming back. much time learning about what kind of face they have. >> or going on a tour of hoover >> one-family every 20 minutes is losing one. dam. >> explained that. >> going back to the prairie -- >> he skipped one of this debate prep sessions to go to the these houses are disappearing hoover dam on the first run. from the land. >> who doesn't want to see the >> 90,000 are ready to go. >> this week, 164 firefighters hoover dam? >> it has been there for a while. [laughter] were laid off as part of the

downsizing, part of the effort to get finances under control in >> one more question -- go the city. firefighters, which detroit needs because it has the highest ahead. rate of arson in the country, the microphone is coming. >> you two are as involved as these guys are laid off. two weeks later, miraculously, anyone i know -- what will be 100 guys are hired. look to find at where the money the big surprise when we wake came from -- is the department up the day after the election? of homeland security helping fund a things like that. >> that it is not over. [laughter] i do not want to overstate it first of all, who gets to wake -- that is something you want to up? there is that -- look, there is think about. the department of homeland security is extending to keep detroit estate as it can be for the moment. it could be a lot safer. always something you do not but we're talking about -- i expect. but these days if there is a wondered, making this film, we surprise is something that saw the auto industry bailout, the bank bailout, and are we heading into an era of bailouts literally broke the day before. for cities? is there such a thing as a if they -- and he thinking about failed city? >> more with heidi ewing sunday the presidential, the senate race?

at 8:00. >> we are always chasing after -- to hear this, this, you are on today's "washington journal," we look at the politics of florida and the presidential trying to figure out if there is anything to it. after every shocking upset, i campaign strategies in that at a brand state. can usually think back to some we spoke to the state republican conversation i had with someone party chairman and florida somewhere who suggested -- democratic consultant. first, we talked to ryan >> they always say it off hand. crowley. 67 others -- issa you better host: starting today we are watch that one and nothing happens. looking at battleground 2012, the nine states that hold the -- they say you better watch keys to the election. "the new york daily news" lays that one and nothing happens. it out for us this morning. "neck and neck." "bam and mitt hit the road in >> let's say there is a nine swing states." the polls show that it is type democratic senate majority super pac -- they went up on the air in all those states. in pennsylvania for bob casey. the ninth is florida, and that not a race we have considered is where we begin today with competitive. a lot of polls show he is up, brian crowley of the crowley political report. but most of them were polls of dubious credibility. mr. crowley, you are joining us do you believe it or not? from florida this morning. why is florida a battleground state?

we will spend today trying to guest: florida is always a chase down and figure out battleground state, and it is whether the pennsylvania senate very important in every election. race is competitive or not. we're chasing these things all 29 electoral votes, that is the the time. biggest reason we are always a knows which ones and that -- and battleground state. up being the one? host: break it down, the state, for us along the corridors. people often talk about the >> may be that as a good point major highways that separate the state. to stop this. thank you during much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> now through election day, watch coverage of the presidential candidates, plus the base from he house, senate, and governor races around the country. tonight, vice presidential candidate paul ryan campaigns in then at barack obama won it cleveland and president obama's hillsborough county in 2008. campaign stop in iowa. later, "washington journal" looks of the politics of florida. hillsborough county is always a >> what he just said is not very important swing the county. true.

there are a lot of independent voters in the tampa bay area, and the type of voters that >> center, you need to do a tend to vote at the last moment. better job of explaining your own record. for democrats, it is crucial, you are really messing up my record. you are looking at somebody with the mother lode of the else. it is much -- a shame. democratic votes are. the people of the state of every time they don't pull out florida are tired of you saying large numbers in the fort one thing to them and going back lauderdale and miami and palm to washington and voting with beach areas, they lose. barack obama 90% of the time. it is very important for the president to pull up big they are tired of that. numbers. they want you to look them in as important as hillsborough the eye and tell you what they county is, the democrats have will -- he will do for them to do well in south florida or they lose the election. instead of for barack obama. host: the polls show mitt romney >> is that the only line you had with a one-percentage point lead. memorized? [laughter] where is the president looking strong, where is the president looking weak, and the same for governor romney in this state? let me tell you, violence guest: i think the president is against women, for you not to looking moderately strong in south florida. have produced in the house where there is a hard push on the we were trying to produce it in republican side, if you pull the senate's -- here we are in away some of the democratic jewish voters who have had some hesitation with the president 2012. it is true, you voted for a

redefinition of rape as forcible over middle east issues, there rape. has been a very heavy play of an ad by a super pac featuring it seems to me that rape is rape. netanyahu, the prime minister of israel, who basically says that the country is in danger. >> with less than two weeks to election day, follow the key races on c-span, c-span radio, and that c-span.org he does not speak obama's name in particular, but he certainly alludes to the fact that if we /campaign2012. continue on the path we are >> i regularly watch "washington journal." going, things cannot go well for israel. i watched shows in the morning and whenever there is a hearing that is something that will give that is significant, i will tune it some jewish voters in florida pause. it is not that the republicans expected to get the majority of jewish voters or any other in. i watch c-span online. group that might lean towards barack obama. all they needed to do is nip c-span 2 provides a source of unbiased information to us that off some percentage points for is rare in two days spain- barack obama. oriented society -- spin- if he does not do really well in oriented society. south florida -- i'm talking big numbers -- he is going to be we cannot regularly get the in trouble in that state. on the other hand, mitt romney needs to do pretty well within decisions -- information we need to make decisions for ourselves. the hispanic community, he

needs to decrease barack we have to hear it from the left obama's usually large numbers in or the right. the hispanic community. c-span, you get the information directly to the policymakers so he needs to do very, very well you can make up your own mind about who is right and what is in hillsboro, he needs to do good for the country. >> gregory evans watches c-span well in jacksonville, throughout the i-4 corridor, which includes orlando. on time warner cable. although in past election c-span -- -- by america's cable cycles, orlando has tended to companies in 1979. lean and democratic. host: and voters in the 2010 brought to you as a public service by your television census, persons of 65 years and provider. older made up about 70% of the florida population. >> in comments at cleveland state university today, vice presidential candidate paul ryan guest: if you had any doubt that criticized federal anti-poverty programs and are good for a we are a large retiree community in this state, that would be strategy encouraging private set aside if you saw the barrage charity. of medicare ads that we have this is a half-hour. going on in the state. >> thank you so much. look at this. that is a huge issue in this wow. state. you see those kinds of ads being run not only on the presidential [applause] campaign, but congressional races, even though the thank you. legislature does not have much

to do with medicare, they do thank you so much. have much to do with medicaid. playing with the notion that seniors will be threatened if [applause] republicans take control of the white house has been at a big so warm. issue for the democrats. wow. [applause] they like to play up the idea that seniors will get vouchers for medicare, and vouchers reminds me a great deal of when wow. the republicans were trying to [laughter] thank you very much for that warm welcome. push changes to the estate tax, i want to thank my friend whose and one clever republican family has been so good to me strategist said that we need to over the years. thank you, jimmy, for that great stop calling it the estate tax, introduction. [applause] because no one knows what that is. let's call it the death tax. no one wants to tax ma for dying. i also want to thank everyone when people hear "voucher," they here at cleveland state university for your hospitality. get very nervous. thank you very much. [applause] anything that messes with fixed income and they get nervous about. i especially want to thank president berkman for making this happen. we appreciate your hospitality. host: is the senior population [applause]

of a florida leaning towards obama then? guest: i think the majority, where's bob? over there. particularly in south florida, none of this would be possible and none of us would be here will lean towards obama, but there are pockets of seniors who today without these feel strongly about the deficit. extraordinary work of the they viscerally dislike obama. center for neighborhood enterprise. they feel like the government we have been friends for many is out of control. years. [applause] we are here in partnership on for whatever reason they are less concerned about medicare, behalf of an idea. but they believe that obama is no matter who your parents are, going to destroy the economy, no matter where you come from, and i have to tell you, i run you should have the idea in america -- the opportunity to into any number of conservative seniors -- a gentleman just the rise cannot escape poverty, and other day who was convinced that barack obama is a muslim, a communist. achieve whatever your god-given i have heard him call a talent and hard work enable you to achieve. communist. there is a certain segment of in so many ways, our nation's seniors out there that are very frightened by barack obama. host: and that is the nature of history has been a struggle to this "new york times" piece this bring opportunity into life. morning. our nation was founded on the

creed that all men are created equal, that we all possess equal rights to life, liberty, it talks about the billboard in and the pursuit of happiness. florida, showing president of course, the quality and obama vowing to the saudi king opportunity has not always been and blames him for soaring a fact of life in our country. gasoline prices. it is something we have had to it talks with socialism, constantly fight for. it is a cause that continues to communism, being a muslim, and a new anti-obama dvd. this day. we heard from one voter in even though some many barriers florida group received it this saturday. to equality have fallen, too many old inequities persist. there were three different anti-obama at videos that were too many children, especially tested to see how far they could go to give us an idea of the african-american and hispanic tenor of the campaign in children, are sent into mediocre schools and are expected to perform with florida. excellence. they make up 38% of the nation's overall students, but guest: oh, the tenor is very they are 69% of the students high style on both sides. i would have to give a little identified as lowest performing. bit more of an edge to the hard-core conservatives -- i don't want to lump everybody that's unacceptable. together. but there is a certain group of conservatives, as i just we owe every child the chance to succeed in life in this mentioned, who just have this

country. [applause] visceral hatred of barack obama that goes well beyond any policy issues. and even people i consider fairly thoughtful look me straight in the eye and, as i said, describe a communist, or in the words of abraham lease as a socialist, that lincoln, we owe them an unfettered start in the chance of life. recommends that the country is on its way to destruction if obama gets a second term, talking about this being the upward mobility is the central most divisive time in our promise of life in america. right now, the american engines countries history, and they feared it is all obama's fault. i sort of smile when i hear of the upward mobility are not people describing this as the working like they should. most divisive time in the country. they don't pay much attention to their history classes. mitt romney and i are running because we believe americans are at the democratic side is starting to get some of that better off in a dynamic free fire back. enterprise based economy that fosters economic growth, but i have to say that what i opportunity come and upward mobility is of a government- directed stance that creates have observed mostly on the democratic side, especially the lean-obama voters, is that they have been the "heavy sigh" voter. dependency. [applause] they may have been enthusiastic

for the president four years ago, but today they tended to have this heavy sigh -- "i am you know there's something wrong not really fond of mitt romney, in our country when 40% of children born to parents in the lowest fifth of earners never i don't dislike him a lot, but i know anything better. would still kind of like to vote for obama," and this sort the question before us today of heavy sigh. those sorts of the voters may demands a serious answer. have been peeled away by mitt how do we get the engines of romney after the first debate people who were less opera mobility turned back on so that no one is left out of enthusiastic about voting for obama this time. the promise of america? host: john in sarasota, florida, republican caller. to answer that, we have to take a hard look at the approach the caller: mr. crowley, i appreciate hearing you. government has been taking for the last five decades and ask i lived in sarasota county, and yourself if it's working. the approach has been to spend lots of money on anti-poverty hillsborough county, tampa, we will go republican. but orlando is not a republican country. programs. they had alan grayson as a the money behind this approach representative, and then they got rid of him. is that a nation should measure compassion by the size of the government and how much it "the sentinel," the orlando paper, endorsed him. spends. the problem is, starting in the 1960's, this top-down approach

created a debilitating culture of dependency wrecking and from my former home town in boston, a fine university, communities. this was so obvious to everyone suffolk county, they have polls every four years, and they are by the 1990's that when a major pulling people out because it is a lost cause and in the state welfare program was reformed, the law was passed by a four obama. republican congress and signed by a democratic president. instead of seeing increases in i think that obama is off route hunger and poverty, we saw in florida -- welfare enrollment drop radically as millions of citizens gained new lives of host: john, i was actually independence. child poverty rates fell and we citing polls that show romney up in florida. saw unemployment for single mothers rise. guest: i will be in boston in a fewer welfare checks going out few weeks, and i really love boston. meant more money for states to i have to disagree with you a little bit. spend on child care. welfare reform worked because it encouraged the best in there is evidence that obama is working very hard in florida. people. it appealed to their desire to they've spent a lot of time in florida, they've spent a fortune on campaign ads in

shape their own destiny and florida, and i don't think advance in life. they've given up on the notion it made strides in getting the of winning florida. government out of the business of fostering dependency. that is a reason that florida is here's the problem. a swing state. the welfare reform mindset has there is also a tactical thing here. not been applied with equal they cannot concede florida. vigor across the spectrum of i do believe that florida is still in play, don't get me wrong. our anti-poverty programs. in most of these programs, but as a tactical thing, it would not be good for the president or, frankly, mitt especially recently, we still romney, to be suddenly pulling try to measure compassion by out of the state. how much of the government spends, not by how many people they would be hammered in the we help escape from poverty. media. the last candidate to pull out just last year, total spending of the state was bill clinton in 1992, in the final weeks, and always said that he regretted leaving, because he felt that he could win at the state. came in to more than $1 he obviously one of the presidency, but it hurt him in florida when he pulled out. trillion. how much of that is practical? for that amount of money, you could give every pore american the race remains very close in this state, although i agree that the edge right now seems to a check for $22,000. be for mitt romney. instead, we spend all of that money attempting to fight host: brian crowley, what about newspaper endorsements? poverty through government

programs and what do we have to you write about it on crowleypoliticalreport.com. show for it? "the tampa bay times" endorsed today, 46 million people are barack obama. living in poverty. that is one in six americans. it's the highest poverty rate do they matter? in a generation. during the last four years, the number of people living on food stamps has gone up 15 million. guest: i think the matter less than they used to. medicaid is reaching a breaking the campaign's love them because they can tie them into the point. one in four american students campaign commercials. newspaper endorsements matter a fails to obtain a high-school great deal for down-ballot candidates and issues, but a little less for presidential diploma. campaigns. in our major cities, half of our kids don't graduate. half. in this war on poverty, poverty i think that most people have their minds made up at this point. frankly, if you are an undecided is winning. we deserve better. voter at this point, i don't we deserve a clear choice for a know what new information you are waiting for. brighter future. what is the alternative [laughter] approach that romney and i are i would be a little puzzled, offering? to hear some tell it, we think because there's a lot of stuff out there and the campaigns have not been hiding. everyone should just fend for "the orlando sentinel" endorsed themselves. that is just a false argument. after the first debate, and it that is setup to avoid a genuine debate.

probably helped to get the supporters of mitt romney excited about flowed at a time the truth is mitt romney and i when they were feeling a little momentum after the first debate. believe in true compassion and upward mobility. we are offering a vision based "the tampa bay times" endorsed a few days later. on real reforms to lift people out of poverty. look. i'm a republican. our party does a good job to speaking to the part of the american dream that involves taking what you are passionate in none of those cases was that a particular surprise. about and making a successful living. part of what makes america host: lucy in florida. great is americans look out for one another through communities. caller: i have a few reasons why i went from obama to romney. we have a vision of making the community stronger, but we do not always do a good job of laying out that vision. the president forgot that he is half-white. what turned me off is the we want to change that. obamacare. nancy pelosi said "sign it, then we understand the importance of read it." community from experience. i come from a town that has been hit as hard as any. i believe that obama has walked all over the constitution. a lot of guys i grew up with and worked in the gm plant and they lost their jobs when the plant closed.

what happened next is the same thing that happens in he bypasses this congress when communities around the country he cannot get his own way, and he cites presidential privilege. every day. our term pull together. churches, charities, friends and neighbors were all there. he and his wife have taken too in textbooks, they call this many vacations. civil society. it costs millions of dollars to in my experience, i know it as send her and her friends to the town i grew up in. spain -- we not only understand the importance of community but he host: are you a retired -- lived it. he's a guy who, at the height of a successful business, he took the time to serve as a caller: i live in a place with pastor for 14 years counseling people in the inner-city boston about 90,000 residents, and i think there are a lot of republicans in this area. neighborhoods. he is a man who could have host: did you vote for president obama in 2008 or john mccain? caller: obama. easily contented himself with giving donations to these causes, but everyone who knows not this time around, though. him well will tell you that he has always given his time and host: brian crowley, go ahead. guest: i have been to the attention to those around him villages many times. republican candidates love going who are hurting.

to the villages. he is the type of person you it is a very strong republican run into around communities. area, and the woman who just here in cleveland and all spoke would have been an unusual voter in 2008 to vote for president obama. around america. americans are a compassionate it is an extremely republican people -- there is a consensus area. about our fundamental the people who develop to the obligations to society's most villages also are big vulnerable. contributors to the republican those obligations are not what party. we are debating in politics. most times, the real debate is about whether they are best met by private groups or the government, by voluntary action or more taxes and corrosive criticizing the president for mandates from washington. taking many vacations and trips the short of it is that there has to be a balance, allowing government to act for the overseas -- we heard some of the common good while leaving groups same complaints about president free to do the work that only bush during his term. they can do. there is a vast middle ground between the government and the i think that everybody is entitled to a vacation. individual. certainly welcome to come to florida. our families and neighborhoods, the groups we join, places of host: she was calling from lady worship, this is where we lead lake, florida could where are our lives.

the villages located? guest: roughly northwest of orlando. this is where we live our lives. they help make us a self- host: jim in st. petersburg, governing people. democratic caller. earlier, we talked with some of caller: hello, brian. i just wanted to express my the people who define civil society to make it work. concern with the republicans. dr. mitchell -- where is she? some say that barack is a muslim and all this negative stuff about our president. she has been ministering to people in the inner city for i think that we have had one of the best presidents we have had decades. in a long time. and reverend peterson whose i voted for him in 2008. project has helped ex-offenders gain and maintain and i was not sure because of all the hearsay. employment. [applause] now we have a republican where is brian? running against him, mitt romney, and nothing coming out of his mouth to me sounds truthful. when he felt called to open a i don't know how we would risk

our country to vote on someone homeless shelter, he did just that there is no truth in what he is saying. not volunteer his time. i don't get it. he and his wife move their host: hey, jim, can i ask you about the senate race? how do you plan to vote -- for family, a baby and two young bill nelson, the incumbent? ones into the shelter and lived there for seven years. caller: yes, i am going to [applause] stick with the democrat party, because i feel like the seniors and supporting -- democrats pretty much support everyone coming together in the universe. and peace. that is how i see it. we want good for all. streets. he give himself. host: here is jim on our twitter -- gave himself. page. he did not show people in need the right path. he walked it with them. not just as their guide but as a friend. this good man, and others like him, they are witnesses.

the needy people who have encountered them feel it guest: well, i do think that presents greater than just one the president's campaign has struggled more this year than compassionate soul. what is at work here is the has been acknowledged. spirit of the lord. there's no end to the good that one of the biggest problems this president has had has been obamacare and his inability to it can inspire. communicate what obamacare would the government cannot replace do. that. [applause] should we have the chance to serve, i want you to know this. the republicans have done a very good job of portraying obamacare as something that will be destructive to the economy and destructive to small mitt romney and i share your businesses, destructive to individuals. cause and we will seek your the president and his communications team have not done a very good job of communicating exactly what obamacare does to help individuals and help businesses. counsel. we will remember your i think they have done a really sloppy job of that. in many respects, on that campaign issue, they have lost. hospitality today and it will you see a lot of that during the be returned. campaign this year. the transforming of your example will conform our the campaign also suffered some one from being on the sidelines during a very intense among approach to public policy. republican primary, much longer [applause] than people expected it would be. when the question is how best

to help low-income families reached opportunity, we will not some of that came home in the defer to the washington knows first debate when the president best crowd. seemed a distant and in some ways ill-prepared. we will talk to the real experts he certainly seems to have found his stride a bit in the last few like those who are here in this weeks, but some missteps by the room with us today. [applause] democrats over the last 11, 12 months have helped lead to this point where it is a much closer race than they expected. what is government's duty when it comes to the institutions of civil society? host: we are talking about the basically, it is to secure their rights, respect their battleground state of florida here, with candidates crisscrossing across the country and hitting each of these nine battleground states and pouring their resources into these states as well. we will continue over the next nine days looking at swing purposes come and preserve states. their freedoms. [applause] nothing undermines the essential and honorable work as brian crowley mentioned, unemployment in that state, 8.7% in september. these groups do quite like the abuse of government power. the 2008 vote went to president obama with a net of 2.8% in that state. take what just happened this past january when the department of health and human services

this talk about unemployment issued new rules requiring catholic hospitals, charities, and the economy, brian crowley. how much of that is a factor in florida? guest: i don't think it was a coincidence that during the foreign policy debate, mitt romney kept bringing it back to the economy. and universities to violate their deepest principles. most people turning in were not going to be paying that close attention to some of the foreign policy issues, and i don't think many voters go to the polls to never mind your conscience. vote based on what our decisions from now on, you will do things will be with china or cuba, for that matter. the government's way. his mandate is not just a threat to religious charities. it is a threat to all of those who turn to them in times of need. in the name of strengthening our safety net, this mandate and others will weaken it. here's the good news. but they do vote with their pocketbooks. statewide unemployment in florida is 8.7%, but it is much higher in various pockets of florida. when romney is president, this mandate will be gone. [applause] in some counties, as high as 12% unemployment. as we all know, that does not talk about the under-employed. the economy is still struggling that's a fact. [applause] that is a fact. [applause] in florida. we have signs of it getting better, but i heard a story that foreclosures in the state are the highest in the nation.

there's a lot of economic when that happens, these groups pressure in the state. will be able to do and continue people are feeling the pain, and to do the great work that they whoever sells the economic message best is going to do well in this state. i should add that the republican party in the state is very do. strong. that is not just the abuse of government that undermines civil society. >> they not only have the it is also the excesses of government. look at the road we are on with governor's office and three trillion dollar deficits each cabinet offices, but the state and every year. democratic party is probably the weakest it has been in its history. host: michael, independent that on this scale is so caller ban. destructive in so many ways. one of them is that it crowds caller: my name is michael, and out civil society by drawing resources away from private giving. even worse is the prospect of a no matter who wins, whether it is ronny, obama, or even the debt crisis, which will, unless third party, we have a war we do something different very going on in afghanistan and soon. look. when the government's own elsewhere, but we have a war on finances collapsed, society's most of vulnerable are the first victims, as we're seeing now in our borders, that the drug war, the troubled welfare states in like in florida. europe. many there feel they have my question is -- it's like the nowhere to turn to for help. we must never let that happen here in america.

[applause] where government is interested legalize organization mafia is going against the mafia itself. in providing a safety net, the question is, again, who is going to benefit from this thing romney and i have our own sake in the end? -- our own ideas to keep it strong. is it going to be the states or is it going to be the mafia it is a vision that leaves the itself? failures of the past in the past host: michael, what are you and a proposal to build on those reforms that have worked. referring to? caller: drug war, weapons for starters, a romney-line brought in, and agents being administration would restore shot. host: ok. those parts of the welfare reform law that have been undone or weakened. brian crowley, is that an issue in florida? guest: i thought it was very telling during the foreign policy debate that there was no discussion about latin america, mexico, no discussion of cuba or haiti. in mexico, the drug war is very intense. we have and border issues there. it was very telling that these campaigns did not get into those issues in any depth, or at all in some cases. we would do this for the sake of americans who deserve to lead a life of dignity and freedom. we will also take other lessons

from welfare reform successes. many of the solutions work in the 1990's came from such states i guess it just circles me back to they clearly believe -- such as my home state of wisconsin and leaders like tommy thompson. certainly the republicans clearly believe that the economy is the overriding issue for voters. president clinton and congress recognized it would be a good idea to give states more power to tailor welfare to the unique needs of their citizens. 1.5 million voters in this state [applause] are hispanic. many of these hispanic voters romney and i want to apply this have a fairly recent ties to their homeland and other parts idea to other anti-poverty of the world. programs such as medicaid and food stamps. the federal government will i think that not addressing that provide the resources, but we will remove and less federal community more directly was mandates to make these programs perhaps a mistake that night. host: jeb bush, the former florida governor, and the head more effective. if the question is what is best of the free cuba center in dc write in today's "wall street journal" -- for low income people in ohio, should we not let people in ohio make that call? [applause] "president kennedy showed fortitude and resolve in forcing the soviet union to stand down. whoever wins the election ought to deal similarly with today's strengthening the safety net programs is still not enough. intimidation and deception from the castro regime." if we want to restore the

promise of america are, then we must reform our broken public school system. [applause] boca raton, florida caller -- brian crowley, did you want to jump in on that? guest: one of the things missed by people outside the state is that the cuban vote, while not what it used to be, certainly a hard-core exile community that believes in the embargo and his it works for a lot of people but hardcore with issues relating it does not work for everyone. special interests always seem to to cuba, but there are second- have their own futures lined up nicely, but when you think and third- and fourth- about the future of young adults the system has failed, many will face a lot of grief and generation cuban-americans that disappointment. their country as them better have more distance from castro and the regime and are more likely to vote democrat and more likely to not favor the continuation of the embargo. than that. i recently spent time at the cornerstone school, an independent school in detroit, that has been serving students for 20 years. it is an independent school that host: roy, go ahead. has served urban students for many years. caller: i live about five miles it is an amazing place. i talked today 6 greater name to a lexus. away from lynn university, and i felt a strong empathic she's ready but i then i even connection to my candidate mitt read tell college. they are learning the values of romney that night had i been discipline, respect, service, a lot for one another. every child in america should moderating, i would have have this opportunity. grilled mitt romney a little bit more on his domestic policy. sending your child to a great

on the home front, i am just wondering if mr. romney and his schools should not be a privilege of the well-to-do. wife are ever going to consider that is why i believe the choice should be able to every parent wherever they live. taking another position, or are they going to keep bumping freedom is the key. their private sectors in the strength of the safety net missionary, grinding their knees? and the quality of our education host: we will move on. system are among the plays were in the americans have the a stake. above all is the pressing need just for those who may have for jobs. [applause] right now 23 million americans are struggling for work. in the has gone down each of the last four years. missed this, for election night 2012, what will you be watching for? we do not need four more years like the four. need a real recovery. guest: i am going to be watching the democratic margin in [applause] broward, dade, and palm beach mitt romney is a man who is counties. uniquely qualified and ready to deliver this recovery. it is critical for the president why? he understands what the economy that he has very large numbers in these counties. works and what it takes to make it grow. like the best leaders, he has set a clear goal. that is where he built up his lead. 12 million jobs over the next in 2008, the president won 14 of four years. 67 counties. he needs to really win big in we can do this. those counties by several

hundred thousand votes. it will take bold departures the south florida margin in 2008 from the policies. was 535,000 votes. and for years, neither president obama nor vice if he doesn't do well in south florida, he is going to lose. president biden has offered the american people an agenda for a second term. mitt romney and i will give he also needs to at least keep it close in hillsborough county, the tampa bay area. american workers back in the business of producing american energy. we will not add to the the republicans would do well to win big in hillsborough county. the republicans will win in a bureaucracy. lot of the other smaller, rural counties. they should do well in southwest we will get resources to the florida, the fort myers-sarasota area. workers who need skills. if we see any slippage in that when it comes to trade, we will area, that would spell some trouble for mitt romney. crack down on countries that sheet. orlando -- the democrats should win the orlando area. the president should benefit from the large puerto rican population that is heavily democrat in the orlando area.

we will not bury our if he is not doing well in the orlando area, it is not a good night for president obama. grandchildren and debt. host: before we let you go, could we have a repeat of 2000, bush v. gore? the will stop spending money we guest vote right now, we have a little bit of the absentee ballots problem in ball beach -- in palm beach county. they are now taking about 30,000 just do not have. ballots and they have workers [applause] that are copying the balance by the way, we will not raise people have sent on to new ballots. because the ballots that are taxes. defective cannot go through the we will cuts rates for small tabulators. they have to take newly printed ballots, they are copying the businesses and working families. that is how you help create jobs and prosperity. voters ballot. there are observers from both of

the presidential campaigns and from the parties as well as did officials to observe. i am sure there are many lawyers in the room to observe this process. many of those are living in i would not be surprised if this poverty today. election turns out to be exceptionally close in florida if we do not see some challenges to those absentee ballots. >> what about early voting? we can help them regain the >> it gets under way 10 days ground they lost with a focus on growth all across the before the election and ends american economy. three days before the election. a lot of absentee ballots have already comment. i think we will find some very heavy early voting. since becoming the nominee for the democrats have a 500,000 vice president, i thought more voter registration edge in this state. therefore 0.2 million than once about another man who republicans. there are 2.8 -- there are 4.2 ran for this job as a champion of growth and prosperity. million republicans.

host: for more information, go there. you just saw his son. he was my mentor. thank you very much for your time this morning. his name is jack kemp. one of the things his friends from jacksonville, florida, the love most about him was his big chairman of the republican party heart. to continue our conversation about why florida is one of the when he talked about nine swing states. wages to and from our last guest opportunity, he meant that democrats hold a 500,000 opportunity for everyone. we spoke about progress, and progress for everyone. that is the kind of. voter registration advantage that any political party can use. over many years he spent his over the republicans. part in mind to the problems of what is your ground game like in poverty, brushing aside a lot florida? of the old assumptions. the same holds true for met guest: it they held a 600,000 romney. if you want to know how met votes advantage if you go back ronnie will lead our nation, we over a year ago. we narrowed that to around 450, did mitt romney will lead our nation, then look at how he will leave his life. he is a modest man with a charitable heart. 460. we have made significant he is a doer and a promise keeper. we have a message that is progress. we feel like we are in a good bigger than the party. we are speaking for all spot in terms of our base. the polls show that the momentum americans in this campaign.

has moved towards mitt romney on undecided. we believe that economic growth it is putting everything we have right now into turning out the and equality of opportunity are republican base. the surest passed to the pursuit of happiness and host: describe your ground game. what is your strategy? guest: it is door knocking. america. wherever we are in life, that is coupled with the whether we are rich or poor, black, brown, or rights, we are message that the governor romney is putting forward. our ground game right now is one nation rising or falling exponentially better than it was together. [applause] in 2008. it is unlike anything we have seen since 2004. there is a lot of energy out there. volunteers, they really began that is the promise of america. pouring in after the first debate. host: your volunteers reporting we can make it real in the lives of many who feel left out. and? how many volunteers on the ground? to all those americans, we ask you to support our campaign. guest: we have over 40 offices due out the state of florida. our cause is yours and yours is these offices are pack on any given day. ours.

over 10 million voter contacts. together we can achieve great we are ahead of where we were at this stage in 2004 when george things. w. bush carried florida of. thank you, everybody. god bless. thank you. we're not taking anything for i appreciate it. [applause] granted. the obama campaign has a really good ground game in florida. we're going to be working down to the wire. we feel like we are prepared and we're going to continue to [captioning performed by contact voters. national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] host: the importance of hillsborough county, how is it looking for republicans? guest: i heard him say that obama would have to keep -- hillsborough county has called every presidential election since 1960 with the exception of one. it is important. the time i've spent in >> hello, iowa. hillsborough county, when you hello. look at what is on the ground, is good to be back. this is about as close as i get there were many more mitt romney to home these days. it is good to be back. are you fired up? signs compared to the obama signs. [applause]

the energy it four years ago, are you ready to go? our internal polling tells us we [applause] are in a good spot. at the outset, let's give cassandra a huge round of applause for the great introduction. [applause] we have got your congressman here. your mayor. and we have all of you -- i am excited to see you. [applause] this is the first stop on our 48 hour fly around campaign host: what would be watching for marathon extravaganza. we are going to pull an all- on election night? casco you can look -- guest: is nighter. no sleep. going to be close. on election night, frankly, it we are starting here in iowa and is in the hands of the voters. going to colorado, then it i am going to sit back and believe we did put everything we had into this race. nevada, then florida, virginia, ohio. that mitt romney's message resonated and we will deliver

florida for mitt romney. i am going to stop in chicago. it will be close, but we will we have an early vote -- pull it off. illinois, just like here in iowa. host: do you think that senate i had to stop in iowa to ask you for your vote. race will be close? to ask you for your support so we can finish what we started. guest: here is what we know. because this is where it all began, four years ago. connie mack was down on your front porches, your significantly prior to the first backyards, this is where the debate. any poll that we looked at, it looks like a really tough road movement for change began. iowa -- you will once again choose the path that we take for connie mack. after the first debate, when from here. mitt romney began to gain momentum, we saw a huge shift in the polling with connie mack and you know, at this point, you bill nelson. guys have seen a lot of tv we verified the polling we saw with some of your own data. commercials. connie mack is within striking you have heard governor romney's sales pitch. distance. it is not as close as it is with president obama and mitt romney, no, do not boo -- vote. but if the momentum continues, [applause] and condi continues his bus tour, mitt romney -- it is possible.

host: are you talking about -- you're talking about mitt he has been running around romney's message. saying he has a five-point plan. here is on -- here is twitter -- let me tell you -- it is only one-point plan. the people at the top get to guest: governor romney play by a very different set of demonstrated a very wide rules than you. they get to pay lower tax understanding of foreign policy. rates, keep money in offshore the countries involved, their leaders. the president of the united states said that night that his accounts. foreign policy in the middle east and around the world has they can buy companies loaded been a success. with debt, lay off workers, benghazi was burning, we have a strip away pensions, send jobs overseas, and make a big profit while the middle class gets dead ambassador, a dead stuck with the bill. american, syria has killed over do not boo -- vote. 50,000 other people. that was his philosophy as the president -- the white house governor and in the private sector. knew that a terrorist organization took responsibility for the attack and they continued with the message that it was a video. that is his philosophy now. we can have the debate on how to

not a very inspiring vision for handle the middle east. our country. it is indisputable that the middle east is in chaos right it is two weeks from the now. election. it is in chaos under the leadership of president obama. he knows that if he told everybody what he wants to do, he probably would not get any host: on twitter -- votes, so he is doing everything he can to make sure that you do not notice. guest: that question is the we have come up with a name for fault question. mitt romney is not going to get this -- it is called romnesia. rid of social security or romnesia. i want to go over the symptoms medicare. mitt romney has talked about the need to reform medicare for for you. people my age so that it exists i do not want you to catch it. for the next generation. i do not want it to spread. medicare is not going to change if you say you will not give a for existing seniors. big tax cut to the wealthy but you are caught on video promising your tax cut would host: 29 electoral votes up for include the top 1%, then you might have romnesia. grabs. if you talk about how much you love teachers during a debate how do florida voters about? but just a few weeks ago said we should not hire any more what is the process? what kind of voting system? teachers because they will not grow the economy, you probably guest: there is early voting, have romnesia. if you sit on stage in a nationally televised debate and which will begin on the 27th. say how much you love cars, you are a car guy, except you wrote

there is absentee voting going an article titled "let detroit on right now. go bankrupt," then you almost certainly have romnesia. if you cannot seem to remember the policies on your own of we have about 05% advantage on the absentee votes right now. website, or the promises you made over the last six years republicans have voted 40,000 you have been running for more votes than democrats. president, or the promises you the good news for us is that going into early voting and to made six days ago, you probably have romnesia, but do not election day, we have about worry, obamacare covers pre- 200,000 more super voters than they do. we feel like we are in a good spot to going back to the ground existing conditions. game given where we are in there is a cure. absentee votes. we can make you well as long as host: let's get to phone calls. virginia beach, independent you vote, iowa, we can cure caller. folks of this malady, of this disease. [applause] caller: i was listening to brian listen -- smart people who do not have a dog in this fight, crowley when he was saying that it is important for -- it is independent analysts, economists, they took out their important to mention immigration pencils, had the green reform. eyeshades, they crunched the numbers. president obama was given tough

questions and did not answer why it turns out governor romney's economic plan is a sketchy deal. he did not even put any type of the results are not what you would want to write home about. legislation and for hispanics. the "washington post" calls the jobs plan a bait and switch. the bait is the promise it in florida, virginia, creates 12 million jobs -- the california, this is an important switch is the fact that it does topic. not create 12 million jobs. the president and mitt romney to in fact, it will not even create jobs right now. answer. they need to let us know if they governor romney wants to spend are looking out for the latinos $5 trillion on tax cuts for the wealthy, $2 trillion in defense and they need to let us know what exactly they're doing when spending our military is not asking for, and he wants you to believe he can do that without it comes to a failed policy. adding to the deficit or host: chairman? raising a class taxes. best go you mentioned the president did not -- guess to go you mentioned the president did not do anything about immigration. the problem is you need to he did not focus on the economy, invent a new kind of math to make that true. deficit. he focused on his health care the arithmetic does not work. law. so we know governor romney's when you want to make the case for change, for firing somebody, jobs plan does not create jobs. you have to demonstrate that we joke about romnesia, all

they failed. this be something really the facts are there. important -- the issue of trust. when you look it hiring someone, there is no more serious issue you look at a resume or their history. history is a good predictor of on a presidential campaign than trust. trust matters. how someone will perform in the future. here's the thing -- iowa, you that is why we go through know me. you now that i say when i mean interviews only hire folks. governor romney has a history of and i mean what i say. there are some faults in this success. salt lake city, staples, sports crowd who probably have been authority, his business following me since i was ventures. running for the united states senate. [applause] governor romney will deal with this guy right here served in immigration. the next states senate. he will deal with our deficit you could take a videotape of and he will deal other debt. he will do it successfully based things i have said 10 years ago, 12 years ago, and you say, on the history. this is the same guy. president obama never had a bad track record. that is the same values. host: we're talking with the florida republican chairman joining us from jacksonville. he cares about the same people. we have a special line for he does not forget where he florida residents. came from. our next call comes from a he knows who he is fighting for.

you know what? republican in venice, florida. i have not finished all the caller: my question, i want to work we started in 2008, but i have fought for you every single day that i have held this get some information about -- i office. [applause] and with your help i have kept live in district 16 and i have commitments i have made. not heard anything about the i told you we would end the war polling on the race with in iraq -- we did. i said we would begin the fitzgerald. process of ending the war in guest: we believe he will be afghanistan -- we are. i said we would focus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and we retained as an incumbent. have. i would say to the republicans and a new tower rises over manhattan and osama bin laden watching, you never want to be is dead. apathetic. you never want to take any race for granted. i kept that promise. show up and vote for buchanan. [applause] we are in a good spot in that i promise to cut taxes for race. middle-class families and small we expect to retain our businesses. incumbent. we have done that. host: what about the 18th district? i promised to end taxpayer- funded wall street bailouts for

also the second district? good -- and we have. i promised to repeal don't ask don't tell, and today you cannot be kicked out of the military for who you are or who guest: our polling tells us that alan west, we expect those you love. [applause] i said i would bet on american incumbents will return to workers and american ingenuity. washington. i do not foresee any real while the other guy was saying problems in those races. let detroit go bankrupt, i went we do not want to be apathetic. there and worked with workers and management and we saved the dying auto industry that is back we are encouraging all of our on top of the world. voters in each congressional on issue after issue, we are district to votes and to make moving forward. after losing 9 million jobs, our businesses have added more than sure their neighbors and their friends turn out and vote. 5 million jobs over the last few years. the stakes are too high right now. this is not a time to be manufacturing is the highest politically correct. we must tell their friends and level since the 1990's and our church members, everyone unemployment has fallen to the that we know, why we are voting lowest of all since i took office. for mitt romney. home values are rising. assembly lines humming again. if we offend someone in doing we have a long way to go, iowa,

that, so be it. but we have gone too far to go back. it is about the future of we have to stick with policies america. that are getting us out of this host: a democratic caller in fort myers, florida. caller: i believe mr. romney has -- has flip flopped and a liar. mess. that is why i am running for a second term as president of the behind closed doors, he does not united states of america. [applause] [chanting "four more years"] care about 47. he says the president is the reason for the high oil prices. the good news is i have a plan he mentions the keystone that will actually create jobs, pipeline. the president has nothing to do with oil prices. that will actually reduce the it is the oil speculators. deficit, that will actually create middle-class security. unlike mitt romney, i am proud host: we will take those two issues. guest: governor romney said the to talk about it. [applause] remarks he made about the 47%, because my math actually adds and he could have said the more up. eloquently of. they could've been better stated. governor romney is for all of if you want to take a look at

it -- check it out at the united states of america. we have a spending problem and a job creation problem. over 20 million people did not have a job. barackobama.com/plan. we have $16 trillion in debt. i want you to share it with your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers. republicans made a mistake in there are still people out there who may be trying to make the past. if you go back to 2006, the voters threw us out. we had knowledge to our up their minds. mistakes. the key difference between republicans and democrats, if you go back to that era, we got maybe somebody here thought they were visiting the haunted caught up in the culture of house over there -- they d.c. it was a mistake and we of owned wandered over trying to figure up to our mistake. out what is going on. the spending and big government is an ideology for democrats, a way of life. they have not made up their we see that in the way the president has governed. minds yet -- i want them to if you are looking for someone who will solve our problems and get us back to work, mitt romney vote. i want everybody out there to is the guy. compare my plan to governor his track record and his resume romney's.

it has the information you need. show that. see which plan is better for you and for america's future. we're headed in the right direction because of the policies of governor rick scott first of all, i want to end tax and the florida legislature. breaks for companies shipping i will tell you that the jobs overseas. i want to reward small president of the united states, businesses and manufacturers his policies have not been at all beneficial to what we're doing here in florida. were creating jobs right here it is republicans leading the in the united states of america. way in states. we are seeing more job creation that is what i want to do. in republican gubernatorial lead second, i want to cut our oil states than in the blue states. the facts are there. imports in half by 2020 we host: miami, republican. caller: we need a balanced control more of our energy. we are today less dependent on budget amendment. i want to. in commercials, on the radio, i want to hear the candidates stress it. that is the most important thing. we cannot be spending that we foreign oil than at any time in are spending. the last two decades because of i know the other side will say, the steps we have taken. we increased fuel standards on in case of emergency.

cars and trucks said it will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. because we have been producing we cannot spend a trillion clean energy, including right dollars extra every year that we here in iowa. do not have. i want to hear mitt romney state there are factories in iowa that. host: why isn't he talking about it? where formerly laid-off workers guest: governor romney is are on the job, building wind committed to putting our debt power, wind blades. and reducing our deficit. i can tell you that when you talk about the budget, a balanced budget, the u.s. senate i want to build on that progress. race. senator nelson is on the budget committee and they have not i want fuel efficient cars and passed a budget. connie mack is committed to a long-lasting batteries, wind balanced budget. turbines manufactured -- i want to manufacture here in iowa. mitt romney has talked about the importance of getting our i want them made in the united deficit under control. states of america. and we can do that. the bigger point is, what are number three, we are going to make a national measure to the specifics of mitt romney? the president of the united states has been in office for almost four years. he is not attacked any of these educate our kids and train our workers better than anybody else in the world. problems. he puts out this booklet a day [applause] or two ago that the pundits are

i want to recruit 100,000 new math and science teachers, train two million workers at saying that is the same old community colleges with skills the businesses are looking for. thing. i want to work with colleges it is nothing new. and universities to cut the the president has failed us. i would ask your viewers, when growth of tuition so our young you are evaluating the to come it is indisputable that people can afford higher president obama has not dealt education without getting loaded with deficits or debt or job with debt. number four, my plan will cut creation. if you look at the history of the deficit by $4 trillion over mitt romney, this is a man whose the next 10 years. every endeavor, he has been we will do it in a balanced way. we will cut out spending we do successful. he will get our spending under control and get americans back not need, but we are going to to work. ask the wealthiest of americans host: about that blueprint about to pay a little more. [applause] his agenda for the next four we are going to do that so we years, you can find it on our website. can invest in research and we will go to john in illinois, technology, keep jobs and businesses coming to america and help them -- and i will never a democratic caller. turn medicare into a voucher. no american should spend their golden years at the mercy of caller: good morning. insurance companies. i will use the savings from ending the wars in iraq and afghanistan to put our people back to work right here at home -- to do nation building right here. what would a republican repairing roads, bridges, administration do differently in

the middle east? host: you are breaking up a schools, all across america. when our veterans come home, we little bit. will serve them as well as they what republicans do differently in the middle east? served us. we will make sure that they guest: governor romney brought have the support that they need. because nobody who fights for that in the debate that after the president was elected, he went on the apology tour. america should have to fight for a job when they come home. you can read the body language of the president and he did not [applause] like that question. he did not respond to that iowa, that is the plan we need. question. that is how you build a strong, sustainable economy. one would be to be respected to create good, middle-class around the world. if people do not respect you, jobs and make sure that folks have -- not only are they doing they will run over you. right now, we are not respected well now, but their future in the middle east. the president spent the first part of this administration apologizing for the united states. these are complicated issues. there has to be a discussion. prospects are bright. we will encourage new businesses to start here and stay here. governor romney said he himself that is how you increase take- that we do not need to be engaging militarily in other home pay.

not by talking about it and then countries right now, but other cutting taxes for folks of the countries need to respect us very top. right now. this is how you build an economy where everyone who works they need to know there will be hard has a chance. that is what america is about. sanctions and the sanctions will that is the basic bargain that we believe in. now it is up to you, iowa, be crippling. right here, right now, today. host: tallahassee, florida, republican. caller: i would like to say that only a handful of people has you have the chance to choose been -- obama has had his shot. the path we will take from here. it is up to the young people who are here today to choose the future that you want to see. [applause] you can choose the top-down policies that got us into this he has not been successful. mess, or you can choose the policies that are helping us to the first two years of his term, get out of this mess. he had a majority in both the you can choose a foreign policy house and the senate. that is reckless and wrong, or you can choose the kind of what did he accomplish? very little. as far as his reputation and our leadership i have shown, that is steady and strong and clear, that sends a clear messages to reputation in the middle east, our allies and to our enemies. he has embarrassed the american you can not turn back the clock people over and over. 50 years on women and immigrants and gays -- or, in this he has turned its back on election, you can stand up for israel. the kind of america that says we embrace everybody. i have known a lot of mormons in we believe in giving everybody a fair shot. my life. i spent 26 years in the military everybody doing their fair share. all over the united states. everybody playing by the same

i will tell you what, i've never rules. met -- and i am not a more many it does not matter if you are black or white or hispanic or of their. i have never met a more men that asian or native american, whether you are young or old, i did not trust or like. able or disabled, gay or they're good people and i know straight, it does not matter. wherever you come from, it does they love this country. not matter -- you can make it host: if i could give you this here if you try. tweet -- that is the american way. [applause] listen, we have been through tough times, but we have been gascón -- guest: i am sorry, the through tough times before. we always bounce back. we always come out on top. question as? the american people are tougher host: expect the affordable care than any tough times because we act taxes to cut into that and pull together, we look after one another, we leave nobody come? behind, we do not turn back. guest: outside of my role as chairman of the republican party we are always looking at the of florida, i own a business horizon in front. that i started many years ago. we are always moving forward. that is why am asking for a vote the affordable care act, the today. that is why i am asking for your vote in this election. if you give me that vote, i

uncertainty of it, but we have promise i will always listen to your voice. i will always fight for your families. seen with the cost of health i will spend every waking day care, there is a lot of continuing to make sure that your lives are a little bit uncertainty. better. this is where it got started, the affordable care act and the iowa. i believe in you. government takeover of health i am asking you to keep believing in me. care, governor romney is committed to appealing it and getting rid of it. if you will roll up your sleeves it is not good for business. and work with me, knock on some doors with me, make some calls it creates too much uncertainty. with me, we will win scott county again. we will win iowa again. we will win this election again. we will finish what we started and remind the world why the it is not the way forward. united states is the greatest nation on earth. thank you. god bless america. no pun intended on the obama ford campaign. ["signed, sealed, delivered" by host: bijan in maryland, independent. -- john in maryland, independent. caller: i agreed with the stevie wonder playing] president's foreign-policy. mitt romney claims to be an economic guru and he was the

governor of massachusetts. how does that add up? guest: the first part was foreign-policy. in the debate, mitt romney did agree with some of the diplomacy on terms of foreign policy. he also talked about the need for even more crippling sanctions. the record is there for president obama. iran is closer to nuclear weapons. syria over 50,000 other people slaughtered. benghazi still unraveling. i dead ambassador, and a dead american and they were talking about the video the next day. the president was running around doing talk shows. that is a failed foreign policy

in the middle east. as far as the economy goes, governor romney has a track record of creating jobs. he is going to do that by insisting businesses with the right regulation, not crippling regulation and creating a tax environment encourages businesses to invest their capital and equipment and people. people are the most important and valuable resources of any organization. get people back to work and can america turned around again. here is the question we have to ask ourselves. is this the normal? the president will have us believe that how we live right now is the normal. host: if i could jump in because we are running at a time. ♪ let me add this to tweet to the conversation.

guest: at the president had the house and senate and the presidency for two years. where was his jobs plan then? after four years, over 20 million people do not have a job. i appreciate the question, but the facts are not on the side of the president. the viewers need to understand this. the president had a blank check for two years. he rammed health care down our throats without any compromise. he did not focus on jobs. it is all about jobs right now. people need a job and a purpose and a call in when they get up in the morning. the present would tell us this is the normal. we do not buy that. mitt romney is 48 higher

purpose. host: -- is for a higher purpose. host: green bay, wisconsin. caller: you feel to realize that congress did not agree with the president on anything as far as affordable health care. he had each member of congress add or take from that the bill and when it finally came before the floor, no matter -- not one republican congressman voted for it. that would have created -- part numbers would have been at 5.6. this congress agreed they wanted this to be a one-term president but 30% of the people are going to vote against obama because he is black.

the man is doing a fantastic job. he is a nobel peace prize winner because he went overseas immediately to make peace with all this more -- warmongering with mitt romney and the other night during the last debate, all of a sudden, he is an agreement. everything i have seen about mitt romney from the television commercials to private tapes and recordings has all been allied. host: we will leave it there. we will have the chairman respond. guest: the president is a nobel peace prize winner. let's look at the middle east. ♪ as far as back to the affordable care act, republicans did not vote for it. he talked about bridges and roads and infrastructures, the

president of the united states had the house and senate on the white house for two years. he could have accomplished these >> now through election day, things. he chose not to focus on the watched our presidential race things he is now saying debates. next, washington journalists at republicans blocked. the politics of florida. then come up little analysts host: thank you very much for your time. handicap the presidential race. later, the state attorneys general discusses leader reform. host: let's begin with the democrats' ground game. what they need to have them tomorrow, the american place an order for president enterprise institute generalizes obama to win reelection in florida? the presidential race or other planet -- and other political races of on the country. guest: good morning and thank you can watch it live at 9:00 you for having me. the ground game looks really a.m. eastern time on c-span 2. well and i would give the one metric. traditionally on absentee ballots, it is elections month >> you are watching live, one and you have the absentee ballots and early voting and you have the november 6 election itself. of 10,000 homes they are trying to get in the next four years. on absentee ballots, republicans have outpaced democrats by 15, 30%. these are houses that will never come back. 800,000 votes have been cast in the state of florida.

our secretary of state posts the returns on line and we know who voted and the democrats are >> not right now. >> it is going back to the one or two points behind republican. prairie. disappearing from the landscape. >> yes. ready to go. that's a really good sign for the democratic party and for the >> 164 firefighters were laid president. off as part of this downsizing, host: what about the ground game? this effort for the mayor to get guest: that is a sign of the the finances under control. ground game. you see folks getting absentee ballots returned and early voting starts on saturday. fire fighters, which detroit needs, because it has the highest case of arson in the country, these guys are laid we will know what the ground off. two weeks later, 100 guys are game looks like on saturday but all early indicators are good. miraculously hired. when you look where that money there was a poll done by and can -- came from, it is the republican pollster just of homeland's security. those who returned ballots in early voting. i do not want to overstate, but i did not hear what mr. curry that is something you want to has to say but it's a razor-thin election right now. think about. the department of homeland's a poll came out by reuters security steps in to keep saying obama is up by one and another said it romney is up by detroit as safe as it can be at

one. the moment. but among absentee ballots, it it could be a lot safer. is a dead even race. i wonder, we have seen the auto industry bailout, we have seen the bank bailout. are we heading into an era of republicans should be winning that by 4, 5, 6 points like they did in 2008 and 2010. host: what is your take on bailouts? is it a sales -- is there such a hillsborough county? thing of a sales city. guest: for your viewers, that is considered to be an important area because of the largest number of swing voters. -- as a sales city? >> on today's "washington journal," we spoke with florida .emocratic consultant stephe in florida, when you register to vote in florida, you choose a party and large number of independent voters -- it is a first, we talked to brian battleground zero and why the crowley. republicans hold their convention there. >> "washington journal" continues. host: starting today we are looking at battleground 2012, the nine states that hold the keys to the election. right now, it is neck and neck. "the new york daily news" lays it out for us this morning. "neck and neck."

what's interesting around that "bam and mitt hit the road in nine swing states." is i know the polls are showing things are dead even. the polls show that it is type in all those states. the president is going to do well in south florida. the ninth is florida, and that is where we begin today with when i say south florida, i brian crowley of the crowley mean southeast florida. that is dade county, miami dade political report. county, palm beach county. mr. crowley, you are joining us from florida this morning. the president will do extremely well there. there are large numbers of why is florida a battleground state? guest: florida is always a battleground state, and it is democratic voters. romney has to get 53% in that area. >> the senate race there and a key congressional races, fla.'s 18th race, we just heard from the gop chairman that he thinks connie mack could pull this out very important in every and in those two congressional election. 29 electoral votes, that is the races, the republican incumbent biggest reason we are always a will return to congress. battleground state. host: break it down, the state, for us along the corridors. guest: i will tell you straight people often talk about the up whether someone is going to major highways that separate the win or lose. state. and how they tend to vote. guest: well, the biggest swing there is no way connie mack is area is hillsborough county, the tampa bay area.

going to beat bill nelson. that is where the biggest swing connie mack was blistered by his vote comes. if we look at our past history, republican opponents. yet some personal issues and attendance issues in congress. in 2000, at al gore lost it speaks to the large and hillsborough county, and in diverse population of florida. 2004, john kerry lost hillsborough county. he comes from a very strong republican area, so it's no geographic advantage. then at barack obama won it hillsborough county in 2008. bill nelson's old district is on hillsborough county is always a very important swing the county. the eastern end of that corridor. he is a very well like congressman and serve that community very well. there are a lot of independent voters in the tampa bay area, and the type of voters that he is going to do exceedingly tend to vote at the last moment. well. there is no other variable other than geography. he is going to carry those both very well. for democrats, it is crucial, connie mack gets no advantage because he is from southeast florida. he has far more money in the with the mother lode of the bank and will out communicate democratic votes are. every time they don't pull out connie mack all the way from large numbers in the fort today through december. i don't know if there's a

serious pollster who thinks he has a reasonable chance of winning. lauderdale and miami and palm beach areas, they lose. you asked about some it is very important for the congressional seats -- the house president to pull up big numbers. has to pick up 25, the democrats have to pick up 25 to take it as important as hillsborough county is, the democrats have back. to do well in south florida or it doesn't look like they are going to do that. florida will deliver. former congressman alan grayson, alan grayson has found a seat he's going to win in and they lose the election. host: the polls show mitt romney with a one-percentage point alan west got moved. lead. physically moved because he was where is the president looking strong, where is the president lumped in with the west palm beach mayor. looking weak, and the same for governor romney in this state? guest: i think the president is looking moderately strong in south florida. there is a hard push on the he's going to win that seat. republican side, if you pull alan west is in a bit of a away some of the democratic dogfight. jewish voters who have had some hesitation with the president you asked about the seat in over middle east issues, there has been a very heavy play of an florida -- that was an unexpected surprise. ad by a super pac featuring he came in with the tea party way that looked like he is netanyahu, the prime minister of going to be reelected but a long time house member, and i have to israel, who basically says that use the love it because he's the country is in danger. he does not speak obama's name been a hard working public in particular, but he certainly servant.

alludes to the fact that if we his senate seat, they know they continue on the path we are going, things cannot go well for israel. liked him and surprising everybody, he came out of the that is something that will give primary was very strong numbers. it some jewish voters in florida pause. this race is now neck-and-neck. it is not that the republicans it's anybody's call who wins. expected to get the majority of jewish voters or any other group that might lean towards barack obama. the republicans are spending large sums up -- large sums of money. al lawson has been known for all they needed to do is nip off some percentage points for barack obama. having a strong grass-roots effort. if he does not do really well in he is in a bit of a dogfight. south florida -- i'm talking big numbers -- he is going to be host: battleground florida is in trouble in that state. the topic here. on the other hand, mitt romney needs to do pretty well within the hispanic community, he needs to decrease barack obama's usually large numbers in the hispanic community. guest: we will deliver two house he needs to do very, very well in hillsboro, he needs to do well in jacksonville, seats. throughout the i-4 corridor, which includes orlando. we could potentially deliver three, maybe four. dan webster is getting a run for his money. we could deliver for seats nationally. although in past election cycles, orlando has tended to

host: for the next 20 minutes, lean and democratic. host: and voters in the 2010 census, persons of 65 years and host: for the next 20 minutes, we are focusing on the nine swing states the candidates are putting their resources in. tomorrow, we will look at older made up about 70% of the nevada. our guest is a former democratic florida population. consultant joining us. guest: if you had any doubt that you are up first. >> -- we are a large retiree community in this state, that caller: let me tell you i can't would be set aside if you saw the barrage of medicare ads that we have going on in the state. believe these people are hearing the same thing. i've never been so ashamed of being a democrat and i'm going to change my party's affiliate's. i've never seen more crooked that is a huge issue in this administration than this. they had a voter intimidation state. charge against a bunch of black people, what happens? obama's administration's you see those kinds of ads being run not only on the sweeping it under the rug. it's that kind of presidential campaign, but congressional races, even though the legislature does not have administration from the word go. he prevented congress from being able to investigate a u.s. attorney and it just is continue to grip goodness and racist -- i raised my kids not much to do with medicare, they to be racist but i have never do have much to do with seen a more racist person in my entire life.

medicaid. guest: i did not know the playing with the notion that president had the power to tell seniors will be threatened if congress they can't investigate republicans take control of the something. white house has been at a big issue for the democrats. they like to play up the idea that seniors will get vouchers for medicare, and vouchers reminds me a great deal of when the republicans were trying to push changes to the estate tax, but i think dave is emblematic of -- i shouldn't say and one clever republican strategist said that we need to stop calling it the estate tax, because no one knows what that is. emblematic, but here is a let's call it the death tax. no one wants to tax ma for dying. when people hear "voucher," they get very nervous. anything that messes with fixed income and they get nervous about. host: is the senior population registered democrat to vote of a florida leaning towards obama then? guest: i think the majority, particularly in south florida, will lean towards obama, but republican and we have all lot there are pockets of seniors who feel strongly about the deficit. they viscerally dislike obama. they feel like the government is out of control. of that in north florida -- people who are registered democrats. we call them reagan democrat. they tend to vote republican at the top of the ticket but i would guess you voted democrat in your local elections and

for whatever reason they are less concerned about medicare, but they believe that obama is that's an important going to destroy the economy, demographic. and i have to tell you, i run if the president does well, a into any number of conservative lot of rural areas but who has directly vote top of the seniors -- a gentleman just the typical public -- top of the other day who was convinced that barack obama is a muslim, a communist. i have heard him call a communist. titbit -- top of the ticket there is a certain segment of republican. but if he can hold his own, he seniors out there that are very frightened by barack obama. can hold the state. >> but me get your take on foreign-policy issues. that was the topic earlier this host: and that is the nature of week. this is front-runner -- this "new york times" piece this morning. it talks about the billboard in -- this is from twitter. florida, showing president obama vowing to the saudi king and there were e-mail's saying blames him for soaring gasoline there was a militant group prices. responsible for that attack. does this play in florida? guest: first of all, the it talks with socialism, president did extremely well and am the first in line to say communism, being a muslim, and he did not do well on the first a new anti-obama dvd. day but he's done exceedingly we heard from one voter in florida group received it this well on the second two debates. saturday.

there were three different what you saw on the debate on anti-obama at videos that were tested to see how far they could foreign policy was the ever- go to give us an idea of the tenor of the campaign in changing mitt romney, the etch a sketch mitt romney changing florida. guest: oh, the tenor is very his position. high style on both sides. i would have to give a little he said at no time line in afghanistan. now he says he likes the idea of a time line and we have to bit more of an edge to the hard- core conservatives -- i don't want to lump everybody together. get out quickly. but at the end of the day, the accumulation of what the but there is a certain group of american people saw in that conservatives, as i just debate was pretty much the romney saying me to to obama's mentioned, who just have this visceral hatred of barack obama that goes well beyond any policy issues. and even people i consider policy. fairly thoughtful look me it's almost like everything straight in the eye and, as i obama would say -- he could not said, describe a communist, or lease as a socialist, that recommends that the country is say the words i agree but it is on its way to destruction if clear he was agreeing with the obama gets a second term, talking about this being the most divisive time in our president's policy. countries history, and they i thought it was interesting feared it is all obama's fault. i sort of smile when i hear people describing this as the romney did not bring it up and most divisive time in the country. almost wanted to shy away from

a because he was out right wrong they don't pay much attention to when he said he did not call it their history classes. at the democratic side is a terrorist attack. starting to get some of that he is the commander in chief fire back. but i have to say that what i have observed mostly on the carey has a lot of information democratic side, especially the coming in. lean-obama voters, is that they have been the "heavy sigh" not he is speaking, he's voter. speaking to the electorate. i thought the president did well on that debate and i don't think that micro issue is an important public policy issue. we have a large jewish they may have been enthusiastic for the president four years population in southeast florida ago, but today they tended to and they care about how the have this heavy sigh -- "i am president treated israel. by all accounts, they are very happy with the president on not really fond of mitt romney, foreign policy. i don't dislike him a lot, but host: this is from twitter -- i would still kind of like to vote for obama," and this sort of heavy sigh. guest: in large numbers, what do floridians care about? we care about -- except those in north dakota, we are worried about jobs and the economy. those sorts of the voters may have been peeled away by mitt but we are looking at a state romney after the first debate that is starting to turn things people who were less around. the largest expansion of medicare -- when that bill came due, heard mr. currie complaining about the deficit. enthusiastic about voting for obama this time.

let's think about how we got into that deficit. host: john in sarasota, florida, we are now looking at 31 republican caller. straight months of job growth. caller: mr. crowley, i appreciate hearing you. i lived in sarasota county, and a metric that unemployment is headed in the right direction. we just got some very good news hillsborough county, tampa, we in florida earlier this week will go republican. that for the first time in four years, we are projecting a but orlando is not a republican country. they had alan grayson as a budget surplus. representative, and then they florida is a tourism-based economy and we are heavily got rid of him. reliant on sales tax for our "the sentinel," the orlando budget and for the first time, paper, endorsed him. we are looking at a budget surplus which means things are and from my former home town in boston, a fine university, turning around. consumer confidence is up and housing starts are up. suffolk county, they have polls an interesting contrast -- we every four years, and they are have a governor and i have been pulling people out because it critical of him. is a lost cause and in the state four obama. but he has been singly, almost obsessively focused on jobs. i think that obama is off route in florida -- he's been traveling on a world host: john, i was actually citing polls that show romney up in florida. guest: i will be in boston in a

helping businesses get together few weeks, and i really love and bring on business deals. that is having an impact. boston. when romney comes to florida i have to disagree with you a and says the economy is horrible, rick scott says wait a little bit. there is evidence that obama is second. working very hard in florida. our economy is doing pretty good. that is one of the things they've spent a lot of time in florida voters are looking for. is the economy moving in 31 florida, they've spent a fortune on campaign ads in florida, and i don't think they've given up on the notion straight months of job growth. more than 4 million new jobs created in the state. what floridians can look forward to is a strong and growing economy. are we going fast enough? of winning florida. when we look at the world economy, china is going in the tank, europe is going in the tank, and we have a republican that is a reason that florida leadership is as their number is a swing state. one goal, not the number one there is also a tactical thing political goal, their number one political goal is to obstruct obama even when he's doing the right thing for the american people. here.

we are going to hold on to the they cannot concede florida. senate. i do believe that florida is that is clear. still in play, don't get me you can hold on to strong foreign policy and good, steady wrong. job growth. but as a tactical thing, it host: our next call is a would not be good for the president or, frankly, mitt republican from lake worth. romney, to be suddenly pulling caller: what is the new law president obama passed in out of the state. regards to one of the people they would be hammered in the who can apply that are disabled media. the last candidate to pull out and what are the new laws obama of the state was bill clinton in 1992, in the final weeks, and passed for the banks that now always said that he regretted leaving, because he felt that he could win at the state. have to accommodate the he obviously one of the disabled? presidency, but it hurt him in florida when he pulled out. the race remains very close in host: that is a real specific this state, although i agree question. that the edge right now seems to be for mitt romney. host: brian crowley, what about newspaper endorsements? you write about it on i'm not sure if he can answer crowleypoliticalreport.com. "the tampa bay times" endorsed barack obama. that. do they matter? caller: in -- what new law has guest: i think the matter less obama passed to now start than they used to. the campaign's love them because they can tie them into restructuring mortgages and the campaign commercials. newspaper endorsements matter a allowing more bar wars to apply great deal for down-ballot candidates and issues, but a for a mortgage? >> let's just take the issue of little less for presidential campaigns. i think that most people have foreclosures because you touched on that a little bit. their minds made up at this where does that rank on top point. frankly, if you are an

undecided voter at this point, i issues for florida voters? don't know what new information guest: that's a good question. you are waiting for. obama doesn't pass laws. the legislature has to pass laws and he has to sign them. one of the important economic engines in florida as we have an import called retirees. florida is a great destinations [laughter] i would be a little puzzled, because there's a lot of stuff state for retirees. out there and the campaigns have not been hiding. when the housing bubble crash, you had a lot of people building homes in southwest "the orlando sentinel" endorsed after the first debate, and it probably helped to get the florida, building homes supporters of mitt romney excited about flowed at a time expecting retirees to come. when they were feeling a little momentum after the first debate. "the tampa bay times" endorsed a when the bubble hit, you had a few days later. in none of those cases was that lot of people frozen in their a particular surprise. host: lucy in florida. caller: i have a few reasons homes. why i went from obama to romney. if you are in pittsburgh and the president forgot that he is half-white. new york thinking of retiring, what turned me off is the you can't sell your home because it has lost so much value. obamacare. nancy pelosi said "sign it, then read it." we were bringing in a net of a i believe that obama has walked all over the constitution. he bypasses this congress when thousand people a day in

he cannot get his own way, and florida and we were growing he cites presidential privilege. he and his wife have taken too steadily. many vacations. it costs millions of dollars to that stopped almost overnight. we had a large number of people send her and her friends to in their homes, a record number spain -- of foreclosures. the day after the housing host: are you a retired -- bubble crash, it wasn't just caller: i live in a place with people living in their homes, but developers and investors. my sister lives in one of those about 90,000 residents, and i think there are a lot of republicans in this area. host: did you vote for developments and suddenly it president obama in 2008 or john was frozen. mccain? caller: obama. not this time around, though. host: brian crowley, go ahead. guest: i have been to the we saw the banking reform that villages many times. said banks were starting to republican candidates love going to the villages. leverage their leverage. it is a very strong republican we were betting on derivatives area, and the woman who just of derivatives and when that cap -- when it crashed, everything came tumbling down. spoke would have been an unusual voter in 2008 to vote for president obama. democrats and republicans came it is an extremely republican together to some degree to pass area. the people who develop to the some restrictions to not allow the banking committee to go so far overboard that we don't have this whole big too big to villages also are big

fail thing. contributors to the republican party. criticizing the president for taking many vacations and trips some of that has not been well overseas -- we heard some of the same complaints about done. some of those banks have gotten president bush during his term. larger, but this is an important issue to floridians. i think that everybody is entitled to a vacation. certainly welcome to come to we are finally starting to see that turnaround. new-home sales are starting to florida. go up. host: she was calling from lady we're starting to turn the lake, florida could where are corner. one of the earlier callers -- the villages located? mr. currey talked about how guest: roughly northwest of orlando. obama had two years to turn this thing around. i heard this speech with mitt host: jim in st. petersburg, romney talking about when he would take over a company that it would sometimes take six months to a year to turn around. this may be a company with 2000 democratic caller. employees. caller: hello, brian. i just wanted to express my you are talking about a nation with 315 million people and connections oliva of the blow. concern with the republicans. some say that barack is a you can't just wave a magic muslim and all this negative wand and turn the economy around. stuff about our president. it takes years. it didn't take us six months to

get into this mess and it will take six months to get out. almost three years of nonstop private sector job growth. unemployment headed in the right direction. hopefully the deficit will follow and that will go down as well. i think that we have had one of host: a democratic caller from the best presidents we have had in a long time. maryland. caller: good morning, c-span. i want to speak about -- there is a little joke the republicans like to call people i voted for him in 2008. i was not sure because of all that support the president, they consider him the messiah. i don't think it's because we the hearsay. support him, i think it's now we have a republican running against him, mitt because congress has tried to crucify him so many times. i do believe the filibuster romney, and nothing coming out of his mouth to me sounds rules did not help. truthful. yesterday, -- i heard a i don't know how we would risk

policeman in florida call in and he was upset because he bought his home and it was our country to vote on someone worth $325,000 when he bought it and now it's only worth that there is no truth in what $150,000. he is a county policeman and he he is saying. seemed to blame that on obama. i don't get it. i remember early when everything was so bad, this host: hey, jim, can i ask you president was crucified for his about the senate race? how do you plan to vote -- for stimulus. bill nelson, the incumbent? this man was one of the most direct receivers of that stimulus. caller: yes, i am going to to keep them in their working stick with the democrat party, because i feel like the seniors positions so they could pay their rent and buy their food which kept other people -- he and supporting -- democrats pretty much support everyone caught so much grief. coming together in the universe. host: i'm going to go to douglas in farmington, mich.. go ahead, douglas. and peace. caller: you brought up that is how i see it. something really good about the we want good for all.

host: here is jim on our twitter page. filibuster. guest: well, i do think that haspresident's campaign the representative from florida struggled more this year than has said they have had great job growth in florida. i'm wondering did they accept has been acknowledged. any stimulus money like one of the biggest problems wisconsin? also, romney said it would take this president has had has been the -- it would take him eight obamacare and his inability to to 10 years to fix the economy. the president has only had four communicate what obamacare would do. years and he had done more in the republicans have done a that time than any other very good job of portraying president. obamacare as something that will >> i think romney said it going to take eight to 10 years to be destructive to the economy fix the deficit. and destructive to small businesses, destructive to individuals.

that's an aggressive posture. it takes a long time to turn the president and his things around. the filibuster was created in communications team have not done a very good job of communicating exactly what 1917 as a way -- the senate has this thing called cloture. when things have gone bad, they obamacare does to help individuals and help businesses. shut down the process. i think they have done a really it was only used an average of sloppy job of that. in many respects, on that campaign issue, they have lost. you see a lot of that during the once a year. in the last congress, the u.s. campaign this year. the campaign also suffered some one from being on the sidelines during a very intense among republican primary, much longer than people expected it would senate invoked cloture on average once a week. that's not an attack on republicans or democrats, by congress has become far more partisan than it ever has. they have moved to the far left and far right ranks and that's why i think the american people are so dissatisfied with congress. here is the president, rock solid, dead center. let me give you one example. the affordable care act. this is not a democratic idea. that comes from the heritage foundation and was first sponsored by john chafee of rhode island under the tutelage

of newt gingrich. this is an idea that individuals need to be responsible for their own health care and that's for the idea of the individual mandate, the cornerstone of obamacare comes from. this is a centrist idea thought of by a conservative think tank. i heard mr. curry say it's a government takeover of health care. it is not. asking people to take personal responsibility for health care what all this at some point in our lives will avail ourselves of the health-care system. the president seems to muddle through and will continue to do so for another few years. host: independent from florida. you are next. caller: i was against obama. after the 47%, i started leaning toward him. after the debate, i started leaning toward romney. after the third, i started doing some research.

why is that something that obama is not stressing in his ads? why is he not going back to the 47%? host: ok. steve vancore. guest: what offended me was not necessarily the 47% comment. we are hearing that was a miscomment. usually a miscomment is when someone gets a name wrong. he began attacking many americans. we're talking not hard-working americans. these are disabled people. retired military. these are people who have given their share to america. on both sides of the equation, there are people who are moochers and shakers. host: democratic caller. caller: thank you. we have had a stimulus that came to florida, especially tampa. then more money came in. the governor we have now

refused that money. it was like $1 billion. a lot of jobs left the state because we did not get that money. i wonder how can you say the governor now is good for jobs when all those jobs went to other states? host: steve vancore. guest: excellent question. anyone who is driven knows that you need a high-speed transportation rail. it was a stunning thing that he turned it down. there is something that our governors are doing good. he has been working on jobs. i have called him out

repeatedly. i do not think he should have turned on the money. it was not going back into the u.s. treasury. someone else is going to write on that trial. it looks like in the new jersey corridor. i would have loved to leave that money in florida. when the governor shot down that badly needed rail system, he is pushing a real system to a not really a heavily traveled area. we needed from tampa to orlando. you are right. there were tens of thousands of jobs.

a private company came and said it would guarantee the revenue on it, but it was still turned down. i think the governor regrets making that decision. host: we have a couple of minutes. a republican line from michigan. please keep it short if you can. caller: president obama needed more time, but if you look at ronald reagan -- can you compare those two a little bit? can you explain why president obama needs more time? guest: absolutely. ronald reagan raised taxes. if you are asking for a quick comparison, obama has not raise

taxes on americans. taxes are lower for the middle class under obama. host: democratic caller. please make it quick as well. caller: i appreciate you being a good democrat. i think basically -- i have two special needs sons. people who do not have a hard life do not understand the democratic point of view. i appreciate you trying to make things better and i thank you for your democratic comments. host: he talked about the democratic viewpoint versus the

pocketbook. guest: i'm not sure what the -- if romney does not get above a certain percentage in certain counties, he will have a hard time making that up. if turnout is low let it was in the 2010 election, it will be a hard night for obama. right now it is razor-thin. we look good among absentees. hopefully we will look good among early votes. host: steve vancore. guest: can i make a final comment? host: we have run out of time.

i'm sorry. steve vancore, we appreciate your time. tomorrow, krist novoselic. karoun demirjian. after that, democratic strategist adres ramirez and republican strategist dan burdish. the e-mails, phone calls, and tweets. >> now through election day, watching our coverage of the

presidential candidates, plus the dates from a key house, senate, and government races around the country. tonight, political analysts handicap the presidential race. then vice-presidential paul ryan gets a speech about poverty, cleveland. then president joe -- president obama campaigns in iowa. this weekend, c-span two's book tv. texas books festival. douglas on walter cronkite. infiltrate domestic a's drug cartel. -- infiltrating the mexico's

drug cartel. >> i regularly watch washington journal. i watched the call in shows in the morning. thatver there is a hearing is of any significance, i will tune in. i also watched c-span online. c-span provides a source of information for us that is rare in today's spin-oriented society. we cannot regularly get the kind of information we need to make decisions for ourselves. we often have to read from the left or the right. the great thing about c-span is you get the information directly from a policymakers' so you can make up your own mind about what is right and what is good for the country. >> gregory at -- gregory evans

watches c-span. c-span is brought to you by public service by your television provider. >> political analyst charlie cook and in the walter talked about 2012 -- and amy walter talk about the 2012 presidential election. >> ladies and gem and good afternoon. i am here with the institute as vice president. it is a great honor to have you here and these great folks here. on behalf of the washington ideas roundtable and the

michelle smith foundation. we thank you for being here. a lot of us are very interested in the politics for the next couple of weeks. i see old politicians up front. there is the congressmen and ambassador, i know there are others as well. we appreciate folks being here. i recognize scary. we have a great program. that soothing, wonderful voice. it livens me. you do a great job. i will let steve introduce charlie cook and amy walter.

charlie's son just came back from afghanistan. last month, he was 82nd airborne. i am sure he is delighted to be back safely and we all are, as well. [applause] steve is the co-host of "morning edition." i will turn it over to see. -- to steve. >> is an honor to talk to boast -- both of you folks. i grew up watching abc news. i pay attention to abc's reporting. it is great to meet amy walter. she tells them what to do.

when i first moved to washington in 1996, very early on i had some political question i was putting to a colleague. they said, you're really all to -- ought to call up charlie cooke. it is true then and it continues to be true now. for those who don't know, he is the editor of the political report and a columnist for the national journal. i want to begin with a really straightforward question. i am sure the answer is simple. who is winning the presidential election? >> you really had to put it out there. [laughter] so, you look at the news coverage and you look at the data and you get two different answers. if you look at the news coverage, especially since the first debate in denver, it would

be romney is the guy who has ascended after a terrible summer and a terrible september and what looked like a race that was a runaway obama victory. the momentum is all mitt romney. looking at the polls and national polls, he was ahead. there was a poll right after that first debate in denver. other polls show the race a dead heat. momentum going his way. then you look at the data, especially in the state's. s. we learned that people do not elect the president. the electoral college elects the president. when you look at those polls, the underneath numbers suggest it is still obama's race right now. fundamentally, he has got an edge in the electoral college, in some of those big states like ohio, wisconsin, nevada, and

that his path to victory has been -- he as -- he is on multiple paths. whereas romney what is really excited early on that they would fight on the same path rather than trying to expand it. the pennsylvania, michigan, minnesota states they talked about putting in place, they never spent time there. >> i hear you telling me that even -- that even if i look at a list of polls, it may show romney plus two, romney + 5, there are obama leading polls as well, but you are telling the obama has the edge. >> structurally, he has an advantage. if those states happen to flip, they have gotten closer. there is a debate. charlie will have a lot to say about what polls to believe. our polls even trust for the

now? everybody seems to have their own poll. i do not know there are actually that many people in ohio. maybe there are professional polltakers in ohio. that may be a good business. there is so much data coming out that you almost to not know what to believe. you have to read what is happening during a campaign. it is clear there is, when you talk about a few of the states, where the obama edge, as slight as it may be, is still there. >> charlie cook, who is winning? >> let me say how much i appreciate. it has been a wonderful experience every time i represent anything with the aspen institute. i took my son to a conference in aspen. bob gates before he was the director. over there is al.

here i am and saying, how did i get here? the aspen institute is wonderful. i got my start working for a senate race in 1972. anyway, thanks. i would look at it. a popular vote, the national polls, it is about even. i want to get into a conversation about polls. i agree about 80 that the electoral college situation looks a little different and it is a little bit more uphill for romney. the way i would describe it is this. president obama was on the verge of putting this race away. it was all but done. you have a lot of voters that were not considering thinking about considering mitt romney but were not terribly enthusiastic about president obama. suddenly, it pushes romney up into the race. obama drops.

in the next two debates that president obama technically one, the feeling that opened the doors for people considering romney in a way they had never considered him fee for. nationally, this is a very close race. it is actually tide. i think there is a lot of scar tissue in the seven swing states that saw the brunt of the aim capital plant closings, layoffs, outsourcing, income tax, cayman islands, switzerland, bermuda, all of that stuff. the romney campaign made a huge error by not going in early on as soon as they nailed down the and try to tellyptio people about mitt romney. he was a blank piece of paper.

instead, one of the things you have got to do is define your candidate before the other side defines them. think of the boy scouts. [laughter] [indiscernible] creating reservoir of goodwill in a teflon coating before the slime hits. the romney campaign opted not to do that. their view was any dollar spent talking about anything other than the economy was a dollar wasted. they basically went into the swing states with a baseball bat and beat on the's trains in. there is still a lot of car tissue. after that debate, romney went up. i am sure his numbers went up in all 50 states. there are six or seven as he went up less in because of that scar tissue.

so, even if you assume romney takes north carolina and virginia is about even, and florida is about even, it is a tough path for him to get there. iowa, colorado, wisconsin, there is a lot of scar tissue there. that is why it is uphill for romney even though it is incredibly close. >> that raises the question people talk about. is there a legitimate possibility that one candidate wins the popular vote and the other when the electoral vote? >> there is. look at the states that are read. if you do when florida, north carolina and virginia, even whole pile -- ohio. look at the blue states.

this is where the romney campaign says they are doing better. the polls suggest it. they will not lose by the same margins. even like a place like illinois. mccain lost some of these districts by 20 points. that will not happen. you can see those numbers going up, even in states that romney will lose. because some of the states are completely off the map, places like pennsylvania, michigan, that means his pathway has to go through a place like colorado, nevada, or ohio. >> one of the problems is you are on the record. a few months ago, i wrote a column. i was talking all of these people who were spending so much time putting together combinations of electoral votes like they were trying to solve a critics cube. -- rubix cube.

could it happen? of course it could happen. it is unlikely. now i think there is a fair chance of that. if that happens, and romney would be the one who would be more likely to come out of the popular side, and obama in the electoral vote side. that is what we are talking about. all of the republicans who saw a great benefit in the electoral college back in 2000, may be rethinking that. vice versa for liberals. >> one thing i remember about the 2000 campaign is that there was also talk of the possibility of a split between the popular and electoral vote. the talk was al gore was surely going to lose the popular vote but still had a shot at the electoral vote. it turned out to be the opposite. i am wondering if that is something to remember now.

we are talking about this possibility. artaud's still against that really happening? -- are the odds still against that really happening? >> yes. >> it is greater than it normally is. if you did not know who the candidates were or anything, i would assume normally that a democrat would be better off in the popular vote because they run up the score in enormously popular states like california, new york. really, the only popular state republicans were up to score is taxes. democrats waste more votes than republicans do. it is that would be the norm if you had a divided electoral votes. this time, it is different. if that happens, it would be more likely to go the other way because of the last electoral college we are talking about. >> amy talked about pennsylvania

being off the map. pennsylvania is put as a swing state. some alecto maps have it that way. to follow theke money. if a campaign has spent approximately $0 on a state, that says to me they are not invested in that state and considerate of a battleground state. that is what has happened. they talk about that. people on the ground. organizations, that is nice. but nobody has put a dime, from either campaign, recently, in terms of advertising, some of the out side groups put a little bit of money in there, but only a little. most of this money is going, and the poor people of ohio have been innovative for month. i completely agree with charlie. when you saw these ads going up,

going after bain and mitt romney, surely we would get a response ad from the romney campaign. here is what a good guy he is or here is what his business experience is. charlie and i listen to the same focus groups. you hear the swing voters disappointed in president obama but they kept saying i do not know anything about mitt romney. sometimes, they would just say things without being prompted that were from ads. i remember sitting in one group where a woman said, that mitt romney, he is a businessman. we have problems with our economy, but if you shut factories down, in northern virginia, voters were out in the suburbs, another art -- a number of women talking about romney and the economy, but they are worried about the women's healthcare stock. why is he doing that with

abortion? it is penetrating. all we would talk about citizens united, and the influence of money from outside groups, they do not get as much bang for their buck as a campaign does. look at how much spending where we talk about the massive amount of spending going into these groups, the obama campaign has more ads on television and all the republicans combined. number two, all those ads republicans put up or negative, too. -- were negative, too. they are now putting up positive spots about the boy we heard about who died of cancer, and mitt romney was with him and help him pick up his boy scout uniform. it is a really touching story. why did we not hear that story before? they did not know about that story until the convention. that is the problem with being

an outside group. you do not know your candidate. >> there was an obama at in the last few days that had one of the most brutal attack lies i have seen. mitt romney, not one of us. airing in ohio. that is an alien ellicott -- alienating line. >> if the republicans ran that, yes. i think you know what the interpretation of it might be. [laughter] it is an outstanding point. it sounds like that is what you are saying. they would not have got away with running an ad like that if miss wrought -- if mitt romney had done that. it would not resonate. >> what they done this is what they have done is the most effective job. we see the national police. if you look like it -- at a place like ohio, where mitt romney has closed the gap on who you think can do the better job on the economy. he is tied.

on who do you think represents middle-class values, a 14-point gap. there are people saying he is good at what he does, he made a lot of money. that is good, i guess. except that, will he make a lot of money and think about me? how am i going to be part of the equation? >> at the same time, coming out of the debates, "the wall street journal" had a survey. they asked to has a plan for the future and to create jobs. while the debt numbers improved somewhat for romney, when you looked at him on the independence, it is 20-points. romney has not closed the sales with these people, but he has opened up the conversation. a focus group in columbus, ohio, that was fastening work.

and one -- fascinating work. she said, i looked through romney's eyes. that is different from where things were. romney had a horrible summer, a horrible trip to europe, the convention, he got one lousy. out of its -- lousy point out of it. basically until october 1, after winning the nomination, nothing went right. and you had the debate on october 3, and october was a great month. >> amy mentioned something. you talked about the narrative. you referred to the fact that everyone went to renew the events you described -- through the then you described, charlie cook. the question is, how long will the media stick with that or what will happen. how important a factor is that

in the real world, simply the way it political reporters assume it is going and the way they cast their stories as a result? >> in terms of swing voters, i do not think they are hearing it at all. the thing about it is independent voters typically read newspapers less, they watched television news less,